The Shopping Agenda
by The Golden Koi
Summary: First Story in the Agenda! [The Little Black Dress]: Rukia needs clothing and undergarments suitable for the living world. But how did Ichigo get sucked into this teenage romance? xIchiRukix ENDING UP!
1. Dragged by the Heels

Disclaimer: Not mine, but oh how I wish! (Applies for all chapters of this story obviously.)

A/N: Enjoy! Let me know what you think! I have more written, so if you think I should post it, you should review and let me know. Oh! And I'd like to thank **Alaena Night** for being wonderful. TGK

_Dragged by the Heels  
_

"Ichigo?"

"What?"

"What's that thing?"

Ichigo looked up from his homework distractedly and lazily turned his head toward Rukia. The open magazine that had been shoved into his face practically made his nose bleed. With a loud yell, he pushed it away and toppled over the back of his desk chair, landing with a thud on the floor. He rubbed his head and stood up, towering over his "roommate."

"WHAT THE HELL?!" he screamed, his face bright red. Rukia tilted her head sideways like a puppy and looked down at the picture.

"What? Isn't it just a..biku…biku…"

"Bikini?" he said, advancing towards her. "No, it's a bra," Ichigo snatched the magazine from her grasp and as he began to throw it in the trash, he felt his knees buckle with the force of Rukia's kick.

"BAKA! I wouldn't ask for no reason, y'know!"

"Huh?"

"I need one. All the girls at school wear them and your sister doesn't seem to have any," she trailed off, scuffing her toe. She heard Ichigo swear a long string of curses and slowly unstick his face from the carpet.

"No way in HELL am I taking you shopping for THAT!" he said hysterically, pointing at the picture in front of him.

"You don't have a choice in the matter!" Rukia pulled him out the window by his heel and he scrambled for his wallet on the desk, kicking frantically at her tight grip.

Once he had dusted himself off, they walked silently, slowly down the street. He mumbled for several minutes, his hands shoved deeply into his jean pockets. Rukia flipped through an action manga distractedly and squeaked as Ichigo grabbed her by the arm.

"You're going the wrong way, baka," he said venomously. She growled as he pulled her around the corner onto the main drag. The street was busy with motorbikes, cars and bicycles, ringing, honking and swerving around the tight street. They ran to the bus stop and Ichigo helped Rukia clear the step up into the vehicle, his hand lingering on hers just long enough to coax a blush from her cheeks.

As an elderly woman shuffled off the bus a few moments later, Ichigo ushered Rukia silently to the open seat. Though he made fun of her often for being…_height challenged_…he always made sure that she got the first seat that open up when they used public transportation. She remembered asking once why he always did and he had grinned evilly, explaining that it would be weird if she just hung off one of the white rings hanging from the bus ceiling. "_You'd end up knocking someone out with your foot when the bus turned a corner_," he had smirked. Rukia grumbled angrily as she remembered his comment, but just before she turned her intense glare toward the window she noted that he stood above her acutely aware and protective, swinging stiffly with the bus as he held onto the distasteful ring above his head.

As they reached their stop, Ichigo pushed her in front of him and the bus driver coughed as she hopped out. With gritted teeth, Ichigo paid their bus fare and followed Rukia out onto the street.

"Wow…" Rukia whispered in awe. Her eyes were wide and sparkling as she took in the sight of the meticulous street, countless shops paneling the sidewalk. Granted, she had seen such feats of modern society often while hunting Hollows, but she'd never thought she'd be able to shop in stores like the ones surrounding her now. It was just a human vanity that before resorting to a gigai had seemed juvenile and pointless. Just as she was about to plaster her face against a store's window, Ichigo whipped her around and pulled her into an ATM booth. Checking his balance he withdrew ten thousand yen (one hundred dollars) and shoved her back out.

"There's one!" Rukia said almost immediately, grabbing Ichigo by the hand and dragging him into a lingerie store. As he sat, mumbling swear words with arms crossed he blushed a bright red, deeper than the color of his hair. A smartly dressed woman with smooth, silky hair and a cell phone earpiece seemed to materialize in front of the unsuspecting boy with a bright, employee smile.

"Irasshaimase! (Welcome to the store!) Here with your girlfriend, I see?" she said cheerily, her hands clasped in front of her stomach. Ichigo jumped to his feet and attempted to cover his surprise with a signature scowl. He saw Rukia holding up a black lace bra curiously, tilting her head to inspect its design in the back of the store. His words stumbled over his tongue as his ears turned pink. The saleswoman ignored his peculiar state and kept up her blindly cheery presence.

"Is there anything you'd prefer I have her look at? Lace, corsets, silk?" she offered, gesturing at different racks in the store.

"Ah, no, thank you. She can find her own ah, garments, ne," he stuttered, scratching the back of his head nervously. As he turned to sit back down, he was confronted by the small woman, holding a teasingly small garment above her head. He jumped back and heard the saleswoman giggle with professional girlishness behind him.

"What about this one, Ichigo?" she asked innocently. As he sputtered a string of useless ums and ers, the woman pushed passed him and nodded approvingly, her smile widening with hypnotic happiness.

"Ah, that's a beautiful piece of lingerie, my dear! The underwire is actually corset boning, so you'll never be plagued with poking wires. It's also on the top of our hot list for this year. It's part of our "In and Up" line," she chirped. Rukia gobbled up her words and allowed the woman to take her looking around the other racks. Ichigo smacked himself on the forehead and tapped Rukia on her shoulder. She spun around and grinned up at him.

"I'll be back in a while. I have some stuff to do," he mumbled. She nodded and turned back to the other woman as he sauntered from the store. He pushed his fists back into his pockets and strolled down the street, casually making his way towards a store at the end of the road.

A/N: Like I said before! I have more written than the three chapters posted, so if you want to read it you'd better review! It will be a longer story than it's made out to be I think (though I'm not done, so I can't be sure) but there will definitely be some romancy goodness. You just have to sit back and savour the suspense! – TGK (Rating may change depending on where the story goes…winkage!)


	2. Funny Bunny

_Funny Bunny_

Rukia looked with perplexity at the pile of lingerie in her arms. Lace, strapless, leopard print, bunny print (which she was _determined_ to get), black, red, pink, see-through… The small shinigami was getting dizzy from all of her options. In Soul Society these types of decisions were easy. Women wrapped their chest with clean, white linen if they needed it. But in the real world, and especially before gym, she always received strange looks from her classmates and was even asked when she first arrived if she had had a surgery or was hurt. It was high time, she thought, to settle herself into the culture of the living.

"It seems you have enough to try in the dressing room now! Let me open one for you. Please follow me," the saleswoman said, beckoning Rukia to her. She followed behind, weighed down by her mound of undergarments. "If you have any questions or size issues, just let me know! I'll be right outside," she said, unlocking the door to a luxurious changing room. Rukia shut the door behind her and sunk into the plush Victorian style chair in the corner of the off-white, cubicle-like room.

With determination, she put her hands on her hips and evaluated the choices before her, choosing the bunny print bra first. Pulling off her plain t-shirt, Rukia grabbed the undergarment and put her hands through the loops. Having looked at the magazine carefully before she asked Ichigo, she had an idea as to how one should be worn. It was the hooks in the back that gave her trouble.

After several frustrating moments, she threw the bra off her shoulders and glared at it, hoping it would shrivel under her lethal stare. She picked it up and inspected the back of it, putting the hooks together before shoving her head and shoulders through just like a shirt. She found it worked much better to put it on that way.

She tilted her head, inspecting her reflection in the full-length mirror before her. The bra fit her perfectly and was a soft, seamless cotton. She nodded her head with satisfaction and set it on top of her shirt, picking up her next choice.

Ichigo idled in the far corner of the small, extremely _girly_ shop, waiting for any stray customers that had wandered into the store to leave while he searched the shelves frantically. Yuzu had mentioned it just yesterday. It couldn't have been sold yet…

"Can I help you with something, sir?" squeaked a small woman wearing an adorable work uniform. Ichigo studied her expression for a moment and nodded his head, continuing to dig through the merchandise.

"Aa. I need to find a particular stuffed animal. My sister came here yesterday and said she saw it," he explained.

"Aaah, a birthday present perhaps?" she asked. He hesitated and nodded his head.

"Yeah. Birthday present," he gruffed. It vaguely crossed his mind that he had no idea when or even _if_ Rukia had a birthday. It was something he decided he should probably ask her. After all, he needed an excuse to give her the toy. His mind wandered as he thought of ways to find out discreetly while not compromising his delicate reputation. If word got out that he was in a store called _Papipupe_…

"Which doll was it?" Ichigo looked down at the homely woman, who smiled sincerely. He thought for a moment, stuck on her words before shaking his head and trying to answer her question.

"A rabbit. It was white and… fluffy," he said rather awkwardly. The woman bustled past him, humming a bouncy tune. She stood up on her tiptoes, pushed aside a large panda stuffed animal and revealed a whole variety of Chappy the Bunny items.

"Is this what you were looking for, sir?" she asked. Ichigo's mouth dropped open and he vowed never to allow Rukia near the store.

"Yes, this is exactly what I was looking for," he said as he shuffled through the shelf. The woman below him bowed and silently walked away, still humming her little song. Ichigo whipped out his midi player as he skimmed through the pillows, notebooks, pencils, stuffed animals, backpacks and other Chappy paraphernalia. He finally chose a kimono cloth stuffed animal, a pencil-notebook set and a keychain for her backpack. He knew he had gotten carried away, forgetting his reputation as he weighed his choices and bobbed his head to the music. He just couldn't help himself when the song filtered through his earphones ended up being Funny Bunny by The Pillows.

A/N: I have to say that if you don't know The Pillows, you haven't watched enough FLCL (Furi Kuri/Fooly Cooly) A great, crazy Japanese band if you ever get curious!

_Papipupe_ is a real store in Japan (near Hiroshima) full of girly goodies of all kinds: school supplies, socks and underclothes, jewelry, stuffed animals, purses, and SO much more! If you ever go to Japan, you should definitely try to find one like it!


	3. The Little Black Dress

_The Little Black Dress_

After Ichigo had made his purchases and asked for them to be wrapped up in extra tissue paper, he stopped by a small grocery vender around the corner and bought some basic foods he knew Yuzu would be thankful to have and hid the gifts in the plain brown bag. Gifts? Should he consider them gifts? Hanabi Matsuri (The Fireworks Festival) happened to be approaching quickly, but was hardly a reason to give her so many things. He really _had_ gone overboard…

He stopped by the ATM again before walking back into the lingerie store. He was glad that his allowance was sizeable and he rarely spent it. Though his father was a royal pain, he did well to make sure Ichigo and his sisters never had to worry about a part-time job on top of the work they did at home and school. He withdrew another large sum and folded it neatly in his pocket before shoving the booth's door open and approaching the foreboding shop where he could barely see a head of raven hair bobbing near the register. The bell above his head jingled gaily and his shoulders tensed, waiting for the huge mound of clothing and inevitable bill that Rukia would have waiting for him. However, what he walked in on seemed almost more frightening than what his imagination and calculations could cook up.

Rukia stood at the counter holding a polite conversation with the saleswoman from before. She was speaking in a hushed voice to the small shinigami, whose face was a tad rosy. Her things were already in a bag and wrapped very securely, so Ichigo was denied a curious glance. He approached the women cautiously. They seemed to be sharing secrets or feminine strategies…you know, the kind that always scare men. Ichigo was aware the Rukia had died as a baby and knew, despite his better judgment, that the advice of a woman was probably better for her in these circumstances. She was probably just talking about cup sizes or something, right?

"Ah! So you've returned!" the saleswoman said as he approached the counter. He nodded a greeting and Rukia turned her face away from him in embarrassment. Yep, they had definitely had a girl talk.

"How much do I owe you for her things?" he asked, setting down his completely inconspicuous grocery bag. The woman displayed his total on the customer screen of the register and Ichigo was surprised that the total was less than ten thousand yen (one hundred dollars). Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Rukia had put on her bubbly façade for the woman and assumed that her absurdly polite personality had bribed the woman into a discount.

"Thank you, Ichigo!" she piped up with a singsong voice. He shrugged off her appreciation and turned to leave. As he turned away the woman behind the counter coughed.

"Actually, I'll be getting off work in a matter of minutes. Rukia-san has asked if I couldn't take her shopping for some appropriate clothing!" she said expectantly, waiting for Ichigo's reply. He and Rukia exchanged a meaningful look and he pulled the extra money he had gotten from his checking account from his pocket with a low growl. He knew…He _knew_…that this would become exceedingly expensive. With a heavy sigh he handed it to Rukia save enough for lunch the rest of the week and the bus fare back home.

"Make sure you take _that_ bus to get back to the house," he said, pointing at the bus route across the street. She nodded with an unusual amount of compliance and bid him farewell. In a way their parting for the evening was a good thing despite the dent in his wallet. After all, it would give Ichigo time to hide her presents and finish his homework.

"Oh, this would so spectacular on you, Rukia-san!" her tour guide to the ways of women said as she held a small black dress up against the shinigami's figure. Rukia looked down at it with confusion before taking it in her hands and looking at the deep neckline and flare in the short skirt.

"Sugihara-san, I'm not so sure I should wear this arou–"

"Oh don't be ridiculous. These are the things you're _supposed_ to wear around a man like him. To impress him," Sugihara-san said, her voice practically humming with the excitement of shopping. Rukia found her arms stuffed full of dresses and skirts and revealing tops before she could peep a sound.

"But, Sugihara-san, I can't wear this!" she said, holding up a tiny white skirt. The woman tittered and waved her hand as if to shoo away Rukia's insecurities.

"Oh hush and I must insist that you call me Megumi, ne?"

"O-okay…Megumi-san," Rukia stuttered as she was pushed into a fitting room.

"Really, you have him in the palm of your hand already," Megumi's voice drifted over the door of the small space. The small shinigami tensed for a moment, a deep blush rushing to her cheeks. She would have denied its burn on her skin, but was in the middle of a face-off with her beet-red reflection.

"I-I don't know what you're talking abo–"

"Oh don't be silly! He brought you shopping and wouldn't even let you pay with your own money! What a gentleman," Megumi said somewhat whimsically. Rukia sighed quietly and let her gaze fall sadly to the floor. If only Megumi knew that Ichigo only did those things because she forced him to…

"I think he'll be mesmerized when he sees you in something so bold! The clothes that you're wearing are so…_plain_. You have to impress a man with your curves in this world if you want to snatch him," the woman rambled, leaning against the outer wall of the fitting room. Her words echoed through Rukia's mind. She let them spur her curiosity as she shoved her clothes in the corner and tried on the small white skirt and a light blue, zip-up top. She opened the door and tugged at the bottom of the skirt nervously. Megumi gasped and clapped her hands together, basking in her self-proclaimed fashion genius.

"So let me get this straight. In this world, you have to wear something like this to gain respect?" Rukia asked, a little more incredulously that she had meant to sound. Megumi, not taking note of the girl's accusatory tone, whistled and put a hand on her hip.

"Sweetheart, if you said hello to him now, he'd be speechless. Putty in your hands."

Rukia's smile widened into a grin as she thought of how much more peaceful her world would be if the shorty jokes and relentless scowling could be stopped. After getting an approval from Megumi, she returned to the dressing room, immediately grabbing at the little black dress.

A/N: Ow ow! Whistles and howls for Rukia's dress! Wait until you see Ichigo's reaction, but you'll have to bear the suspense! I like to let the atmosphere ah, age a little, so it'll be a few chapters.


	4. No Peeking!

A/N: Aww, of course I can make you wait for the The Little Black Dress to be revealed! As I'm sure most of you understand, authors have a _very_ good sense of sadistic patience...Hehe._  
_

_No Peeking  
_

Ichigo flopped down on his bed and heaved a great sigh, his face planted in his pillow. He was glad of the silence, letting ideas of how to give Rukia her gifts float lazily through his head. It was so hard to hide things from her. No place was a safe place for a present if she was suspicious.

Kon pounded relentlessly at Yuzu's door, begging Ichigo to let him out. His sister had locked her door, explaining that she was making Karin a surprise kimono for Hanabi Matsuri (Firework Festival) and didn't want her to get curious while she was gone getting supplies. Kon was stuck in her room, apparently dressed as Sailor Moon…

"Forget it, Kon. I'm not letting you out of there," Ichigo snickered, his grin widening as the toy begged and pleaded. He could imagine the little lion flailing his arms, tears streaming dramatically down his fuzzy exterior behind the door and it brought him an evil sort of joy.

"PLEASE?!?!?!?!!!!?!?! Iiiichigo, I'll break through the window if you don't let me out of here!…" Silence. "I SWEAR I WILL!" Kon threatened. With a groan, Ichigo pulled the pillow out from under him and threw it at his door. It slammed shut with a satisfying echo and the stuffed animal down the hall reduced himself to sniffling pitifully, knowing he had been successfully ignored by the shinigami representative.

As the house grew quiet once again, he turned over onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. It wouldn't be long until Rukia came home. With a tired breath, he sat up and dumped the remaining contents of the paper bag on his comforter. The keychain was easy. He hooked it onto the zipper on her backpack and left it there, hoping she never questioned where it came from, or even noticed it had appeared. Similarly, he stuffed the notebook set between two folders and zipped her bag back up. Plopping back down on his bed with a little bounce, he inspected the stuffed Chappy. With a sigh, he pushed it into the bottom drawer of his desk tapping his fingers against the wood of its surface. It would be hard to find a reason to give it to her. If only he knew her birthday!

Then it hit him. Inoue. If anyone knew, _she_ would. And if she didn't, she'd be so curious afterwards that she'd ask. It was perfect! With a cocky grin plastered to his face, Ichigo let himself fall back on the sheets.

Rukia appeared on Ichigo's windowsill looking exceptionally pleased with herself. He glanced her way as she dropped a few coins on his chest and hopped into her closet, numerous shopping bags in her hands. She flashed him her brilliantly fake smile and slammed the door. He could hear her rustling behind the sliding door as she pulled things from her bags. As if the mouth of a ravenous beast, the closet slid open just far enough for three rather crinkled bags to be spat from inside. Before Ichigo could catch a glimpse, it slammed shut again and he could hear Rukia laughing to herself. The sound sent shivers down his spine, a sense of foreboding much like a heavy, gunmetal grey cloud promising rain.

"Rukia?" he called tentatively, propping himself up on his elbows. The sounds of folding clothes stopped and he heard her shoving stuff out of the way. Slowly, her fingers pried the door open and she peeked out. Ichigo had to stop himself from smiling at how child-like her gestures were.

"What?"

"How much did you _buy_?" he asked, counting his spare yen. "You couldn't have gotten that much, I only gave you fourteen thousand yen ($140) or so."

"Megumi-san gets discounts at all the stores along the street because she's a manager at the lingerie shop. I got half off just about everywhere!" she said. Ichigo froze. _Papipupe_ was on that street too…

"Can I see what my money bought you then?" Ichigo said, attempting his usual scowl. Rukia peered at him suspiciously.

"No, why?"

"Because I _bought it_?"

"No! They're _my_ clothes! You'll see 'em when I wear 'em!"

They shared a deadly glare and both weighed their chances of victory. Ichigo thought about the woman that had taken Rukia shopping. She was very high-class and fashion oriented. She probably wouldn't have even _thought_ about the end of the street. Most of the shops there were practical: kitchenware, office supplies, groceries…It was highly unlikely they would have gone, ne?

Rukia didn't think he had overheard Megumi-san and her conversation at the register in the lingerie store, but she could be wrong. He had a habit of popping up and hearing things he probably shouldn't hear. She squinted at him interrogatively, sizing him up. His scowl deepened and she could tell he was going to give it up. She let out a quiet breath and averted her eyes. They shared an awkward silence and Ichigo scratched the back of his head.

"Ah, Rukia. I thought you might need some closet space or a drawer or something," he mumbled a little begrudgingly. The thought actually _had_ crossed his mind several times that night, but he was using it as a redirection of their conversation. The small woman raised an eyebrow and nodded her head slowly, agreeing.

"Yeah, I guess I do."

"There should be a drawer under your futon where you can put them."

"Baka, there aren't any drawers under my bed."

"Yes there are. Let me show you."

"NO!" Rukia said, smooshing Ichigo's face with her petite hands. He mumbled an 'oomph' against her palms and growled, batting her hands away.

"What the hell, Rukia!"

"You can't come in!"

"WHY NOT?!"

"BECAUSE!"

"THEY'RE JUST CLOTHES, GOD!"

"**NO PEEKING!**" Rukia yelled, nearly shaking the foundations of the house. They seethed, glaring fire into each other's eyes as they struggled to keep their breathing under control. With great force of will, Ichigo backed off and took a deep breath. He snatched up the bags next to his feet and shoved them into Rukia's chest.

"Put them back in their bags and I'll clear out a drawer for you, idiot," he grumbled, his face turning red from strain. She slammed the door in his face and he bit his lip, trying desperately not to yell at her through the divider. When she opened the door again, Ichigo had his worst scowl readily available. She hopped out of the closet, hugging her bags of clothes like a precious stuffed animal after a nightmare. Ichigo's mind briefly strayed to the toy hidden in his desk.

Ichigo approached the base of Rukia's makeshift bed and lifted a wooden cover, sliding it under her futon. Three large drawers were revealed, two holding pillows and bed linens. The space highest in the futon cabinet was nearly empty. He smirked with an "I told you so" kind of attitude and let the expression sink into Rukia's head. She hmphed and looked away nonchalantly, clutching her bags, which were slowly falling apart in her arms.

After Ichigo had pulled the remaining comforter and sheet from the drawer, he shoved them on the top shelf, high above his head and strolled away, finding great interest in his Classical Japanese homework. Rukia snorted arrogantly and climbed back into her closet. Ichigo heard the light click on and listened distractedly as she began folding and putting things away. He didn't catch it for several minutes, but a smile had crept onto his face.

A/N: Wait until you see what's coming next!...Not quite sure what it is, since I wasn't planning on getting reviews the first twelve hours it was up, but you'll see! I'll have the chapter up by the end of the day, maybe even two more. Hope you like this short'un!


	5. During the Night

A/N: As promised, here's another chapter for you guys to drift off to sleep to! Oh…and no, this isn't a very romantic chapter. I cackle that you might have thought it so!

_During the Night_

* * *

The dim moonlight shone in milky, dusty waves through the crack in the closet door. Rukia watched Ichigo's chest rise and fall calmly as he slept, thinking about nothing really. It was a blessing that she didn't have to think about anything at night when curled up under the blankets in Ichigo's closet. Soul Society, she thought bitterly, didn't allow such casual existence. Competition, strength, and suspicion were the foundations of the world of the shinigami and though it was better than Rukongai, she wasn't happy there. Nothing was ever pure. Things were twisted and bent, warped for the advantage of the powerful. 

Rukia sighed heavily, her eyes downcast. Today she had almost forgotten her life's vow to Soul Society. She had almost felt normal, like a schoolgirl who simply didn't know much about the "feminine mystique" as Megumi had called it. It was an odd feeling, believing that her gigai was living just like everyone else. But she seemed to be growing, even if very _very_ slowly. She found that she could _almost_ reach the top of the doorframe now if she jumped, and that her chest linen was gradually becoming too short to tie (though this was something remedied earlier that day). Though she complained that her gigai was heavy and burdensome, Rukia had really become intimately attached to the husk. She felt like she was a whole person, whereas when she had first shoved her spirit into the form, she had felt like a ping pong ball inside a flimsy box.

Ichigo groaned in his sleep and Rukia was snapped out of her musings as she watched him like a cat in the shadows. His hand flopped down on the desk and he dragged his cell phone down to the pillow next to his face. His eyes opened blearily and he squinted, mumbling curses as he opened the phone and stared at the time display. He snapped it shut again and let his phone fall to the carpet with a soft thud before smashing his face back into the pillow with a loud groan.

Rukia pulled the closet door open a centimeter farther, but quickly closed her eyes as Ichigo sat up in his bed, scratching the back of his head. Although she was used to catching glimpses of his lean stomach, the feel of a hot, unrelenting blush crept onto her cheeks more and more frequently with such a sight. To remedy that, she simply stopped accidentally spotted him half-naked. It had been working quite well, she thought.

"Damn that phone," Ichigo mumbled as he stood up, stretching. "It's three o'clock in the morning and I heard it in _my_ _head_. I swear there's something wrong with me…" Rukia listened intently as he continued to grumble, pacing his room. As he sat back down on the edge of his bed, Rukia opened one of her eyes, peeking out at him. He stared at his desk drawer intently, thinking with his brow furrowed.

Rukia squeaked quietly as his name almost slipped off her tongue. With an internal curse, she closed her eyes again quickly. She could almost feel his gaze snap to her face, barely visible in the crack of the door. After a moment of his scrutinizing inspection of her face, he stood and quietly walked over to the closet. The door slid open and she tried her best to look peaceful and unaware of his proximity.

"Rukia?" he whispered, seeing if she'd respond. His was curiously tender and Rukia took the moment to stir lightly as if only faintly hearing her name in a dream. A lock of her hair splayed elegantly over her eyes, which she was grateful for. He wouldn't be able to see her eyelids twitch with consciousness.

"Cheh, baka," he said gently, pushing her hair out of her face. Rukia fought her body's reaction tooth and nail as the shock of the gesture sank into her system. Ichigo's hand froze above her skin, mere centimeters from the heat of her flesh. The moment was almost painful, the tension between their skin causing the small woman to bite her tongue with dread. She could almost feel her breath be pushed from her lungs as Ichigo withdrew his hand and shut the closet door softly.

* * *

Ichigo groaned and pried his eyes open as the sound of Rukia's phone berated his ears. Her voice echoed through his head and he distinctly felt the frantic pounding of feet around him, a Hollow's roar vibrating through the air. As the sounds faded, he stared at his pile of textbooks with disdain and was glad to note that it was only the second day of their spring vacation. 

"Kuso," he whispered to himself, failing miserably at persuading his hand to reach up to his phone on the desk next to him. The cold of the room stung his cheeks a little and he buried himself deeper into the plush comforter and sheets. His eyes popped open again within a matter of seconds and he stared restlessly at the corner of his phone hanging teasingly from the edge of the desk. The sleek black chrome of its surface called to him like a digital siren, glinting evilly in the light of the moon.

His mind strayed as he stared at the small device. Perhaps it was late enough that he could just get up and go downstairs to watch the early morning news… The good thing about getting up so early was seeing the look on his dad's face when he would bust into Ichigo's room and find his son gone. The dialogue ensuing would usually consist of the rest of the family arguing about what he might be doing. Isshin, of course, would assume he was in a young woman's arms, spouting romantic prose under the moonlight until Karin dragged him downstairs to find Ichigo sitting lazily at the kitchen table, slurping his miso sou– ah, damn it all to _hell_.

Ichigo pulled his hand out into the crisp air and let it slump down on the top of the desk, dragging his phone down to the mattress. The light of the phone felt like being met with a very small tazer to the face. He mumbled a couple swears as he shut his phone and sat up, letting the cold beat against his bare chest. He raised his hand and scratched the back of his head. His hair felt like duck fuzz without his usual amount of gel and was matted against his neck and ear on one side, he noted with a tone of mental reprimand. He'd have to sleep on his other shoulder for a few nights to make sure his hair didn't mold to the side of his face. Then again, he wouldn't have even been awake to notice it yet if it hadn't been for that stupid dream.

"Damn that phone," he said, redirecting his anger. "It's three o'clock in the morning and I heard it in _my head_. I swear there's something wrong with me…" He continued to ramble incessantly, repeatedly putting blame on the shinigami way of life. All those dreams about Rukia were caused by the stress of killing Hollows. It didn't help that she always ordered him around and was practically the same height as Yuzu. He swore that if he wasn't so careful, he'd plow right over her one day. Just _smack!_ and _her_ face would be planted in the carpet for once. A smile pulled at the sides of his mouth and he quickly wiped it away along with the vision of Rukia's pouting face, her expression twisted up with the realization that fighting her height was futile. Her pride was what made fights like that so much fu–

Ichigo whipped the blankets off his form and stood, pacing the room, mumbling angrily about small things in his life, trying desperately to think about something _other_ than his ties to Soul Society. Including Rukia.

…

It was hopeless. Nothing was coming to mind. His entire life had been integrated into Soul Society and the people involved in that world. He wasn't sure how or when, but his life had been permanently welded to both planes, melting the boundaries between life and death. His perception of what it meant to live had strayed into the realm of the dead. The girl living in his closet was technically dead. He had eaten dead people's _food_…

…

"That _can't_ be healthy," Ichigo whispered to himself as he continued to pace his carpet like a lion eager to get out of its cage. As soon as he realized he was mindlessly walking in circles, he stopped himself and sat back down on the edge of his bed, rubbing his forehead tiredly.

A soft, white sheen in the darkness caught his eye and his gaze strayed to the bottom drawer of his desk. His heart skipped a beat as he stared at the small amount of kimono cloth. Rukia could have seen it peeking out from within his drawer and discovered it already. His lips parted slightly, Ichigo blinked several times with disbelief. How could he be _that_ stupid?

A squeak caught his attention and he whipped his head in the direction of the closet. His heart was thudding in his chest like a piece of thick, heavy lead. Rukia was awake, he was sure of it, but her serene expression made him doubt himself. The crack in the closet door was just wide enough that at the angle he was sitting he could see her cheek illuminated by the silver of the night's glow. She looked like a porcelain doll, lying so still and peaceful.

Ichigo swallowed a small lump in his throat and stood with a catlike stealth. Approaching the closet, he could almost feel himself fidgeting. He had never seen her sleeping before and was surprised at how fragile she looked. So small and delicate. He brushed away the thought with a mental snort. It was a wonder she was able to become a shinigami at all.

As the closet door slid open, he looked down at her face and small hands. She was clutching the comforter draped over her form and had curled her legs tightly against her body. He could see that space in the closet was limited and she had to curl up to fit, but a fleeting thought passed through Ichigo's head that perhaps she was cold. He would make sure she got another blanket in the morning.

"Rukia?" he whispered. If she was asleep, he didn't want to wake her. It would be embarrassing for him if she caught him watching her sleep. Maybe she had just had a bad dream. His heart skipped as she snuggled her cheek farther into the pillow, her shoulders rising with a content sigh. He felt awkward standing there. Whenever he imagined Rukia, he thought of her kicking and screaming. This was a side of Rukia he almost wished would be around more often.

As she nuzzled the pillow, her long, choppy bangs draped over her face with an elegance Ichigo was surprised to associate with the small, rambunctious woman. A grin pulled at one side of his lips and he brushed her hair out of her face. He hesitated as the heat and silk of her skin made his fingertips tingle. Forcing his face to contort into a scowl he turned his eyes away.

"Cheh, baka," he murmured, trying to harden his expression. His fingers lingered on her forehead for a few moments, his stomach twisting with an almost painful surge of adrenaline. His cheeks turned a bright red as he withdrew his hand and slid the closet door shut. As he padded back over to his bed he gently pushed the kimono cloth back into his drawer and shut it securely. Settling himself under the sheets, he watched the closet door, almost imagining Rukia's shoulders rising with her breath as she slept. He was secretly glad that she seemed to have good dreams that night. At least one of them had been able to sleep well.

* * *

A/N: …Okay so I fooled you. It _was_ romantic kinda sorta…ish. But wait until you see what Ichigo has in store for Rukia _tomorrow_. Hehe, it'll be fun! Don't worry, I'm on a roll, so it'll be up within the next few hours. 

Cultural Notes for you guys who like'em!

_Kuso_ – it literally means 'shit' or 'damnit.' It's one of those generic swear words that you wouldn't really get in trouble for saying in Japan. Fun little thing to know: _Hanakuso_ means booger (snicker). _Hana_ is nose and well, you already know what _kuso_ means!

The spring vacation in Japan is roughly two weeks long between the time when they change years in school (like our summer break) and is the middle of March. Their _summer_ break is in the middle of the school year (July to August, one month). Golden Week (their spring break) is practically a national holiday in which many people get the week off from work as well. It's in April I believe, but I'm horrible with dates.


	6. A Late Start

A/N: I've been told that the cultural notes stuff at the end is really helpful and nice to have, so I'll keep them up! Thanks all you reviewers! You're comments have really spurred me to update and make the story interesting. Enjoy!

_A Late Start  
_

* * *

Ichigo listened to the silence of the sun rising as the world began its groggy morning routine. He glanced at his phone again, noting that it was almost nine and stretched like a pet in the sun's rays as they poured over his bed. He pulled himself out of bed and slid into his desk chair. Unlatching his laptop, he began to hit the return button with such impatience it would seem he was an incessant alarm clock, drilling the key into the laptop's drowsy monitor. The screen flared to life begrudgingly and Ichigo opened a new window in his browser.

Rukia could hear the sounds of Ichigo's keyboard clicking away from beyond her door. She didn't want to wake up and look at him, fearing that he'd look back and see that she had been awake to feel his touch during the night.

She fluffed her pillow and dropped her head back down with a grimace. Her body was starting to cramp from curling herself up in such a small space. It was going to be impossible to stay "sleeping" for much longer.

Luckily, she didn't have to wait. A soft rap at the closet door startled her and she sat up. There was a small moment where she was afraid that it was one of Ichigo's sisters suddenly aware that a woman lived in their brother's closet. Once she realized that the clacking of his keyboard had ceased, she relaxed and pushed the door open.

"Morning," she mumbled, faking a bleary greeting. Ichigo didn't say anything, but stared down at her. She blinked a few times, looked down at her chest and looked back up at him with a curious expression.

"What are you _wearing_?" he asked, pointing at her slip. She looked down and grinned with self-satisfaction. For a split-second before he had said anything, she thought he may have been disgusted, but his tone of voice proved otherwise. She was starting to really believe that Megumi had been right about men in this world.

"It's a night gown! Megumi-san said it was more comfortable to sleep in than stuff like Yuzu's pajamas. She should probably invest in something like this," Rukia said poking at her sheer garb. Ichigo nearly fell in shock.

"NO SHE SHOULDN'T!" he screamed, suddenly a very protective older brother. Suddenly, he gritted his teeth and took a deep breath, his face beet red.

"Well it's true! It's smooth and comfy!" Rukia replied, her arms crossed. Ichigo scowled in an attempt to hide his grin. There was that pout he had been thinking about during the ni–

"In any case, get up. We're leaving," he snorted, turning away. He sat back down grumbling to himself and stared blankly at his printer for several dumb moments. Shaking his head, he grabbed the things he had printed out and folded them into his wallet. As he turned to yell at Rukia to hurry up he quickly clamped his mouth shut and turned back to his laptop, typing nonsense frantically. Rukia's slip barely covered her thighs. He had turned to see her pushing her bangs behind her ears and bending to look into her drawer. Though the intricate lace design that had covered her breasts was thick enough not to need something underneath, the rest of the garment was a soft, translucent blue material. He hoped to _Byakuya_ that only his hormones had imagined seeing a skimpy pair of panties beneath the see-through fabric.

As he hurriedly looked up ah…chia pets…right, chia pets online he could hear her turn the knob to his door and jumped up suddenly hysterical.

"NO!" he yelled, holding his hand out in a yielding fashion. Rukia looked back at him with a confused, innocent look and he felt that though his body was frozen in place, ablush rushed like a thermometer in boiling water over his face and ears. They stood there for a moment while he regained his composure and slowly stood back up.

"You can't go out in the house. My family's home," he snorted, putting his most arrogant grimace forth. Rukia refused to turn around and face him, probably because of her new clothes, Ichigo thought. This left her rather exposed and her roommate closed his eyes in an attempt to keep himself intact. If Rukia thought he was slobbering over her figure, she'd surely rip off a limb or two…

"Um…Then get out?" she said after a moment, rather haughtily. Ichigo was ripped from his thoughts as his eyes strayed over her bare legs. At school he a lot of girls wore their skirts pretty short, but there was something about the wa– His eye twitched and his fists became white. Rukia stood between Ichigo and freedom from his hormones.

"_Move_ already!" he said, stomping towards the entrance to his room. She hopped away from the door and he rushed past her, slamming it shut behind him. Yuzu and Karin said good morning as he sat down for some rice and miso soup, but were very careful to keep away from their brother that morning. He seemed a little distracted…

* * *

(A/N: This is where the chapter originally ended, but I _hate_ writing chapters less than at least one thousand words, so it continues where the next chapter would start!)

* * *

Ichigo knocked quietly at his door, gritting his teeth. Of _course_ he'd be kicked out of his own room for an hour. They didn't have that much time to screw around if they were going to go where he had planned. As the urge to break the door down pulled at his limbs, the sound of Yuzu's cheerful humming could be heard down the hallway. She would hear if he started pounding at his own door screaming threats…Then again, he could always pick the lock…

The lock on the door clicked and Ichigo rushed inside and shut the door behind him. He would have stopped to gawk and babble an argument over her scandalous outfit, but instead shooed her toward the window.

"What's the big idea, baka?!" she yelled, pushing back against him. He stopped and panted a bit.

"I told you, we're leaving."

"To where?"

"Somewhere, now meet me outside, damnit!" Ichigo shoved Rukia out of the window and she yelped with surprise. By the time she had twisted and landed on her feet, he was already waving goodbye to his family and running out the door. As he sped past her, he grabbed her hand and dragged her behind him.

"Ichigo! What the –"

"Shut up! We're going to miss the train if we don't hurry!" he yelled back at her, sprinting down the road. She yanked her hand from his and came up beside him, breathing heavily. Rukia nearly ran into his broad chest as he turned a sharp corner and ran up the steps to the train station. He flashed their e-tickets as they hopped over the turnstile and rushed up the terminal stairs. Ichigo grabbed Rukia's hand again as she lagged behind and pushed her into the train, barely making it in after her.

"_Damnit_," he breathed, tugging at his jacket. It had gotten shut in the doors as the train began rolling. He pulled it free and slumped down into a cushioned seat speckled with little stick figures of pregnant women and old men with canes. He eyed the somewhat worn-out upholstery and caught an elderly woman looking at him condescendingly over her magazine. With a heavy sigh, he pushed himself off the seat and crossed to a set of regular seats, pulling Rukia along behind him. He shoved her towards the seat across from him and she fell into the cushions with a glare.

"Why did we have to make _this_ train? Couldn't we have gotten the next one?"

"The next one to Hiroshima doesn't come for another two and a half hours. We wouldn't have gotten there for at _least_ four hours and that's just not enough time," he said, still breathing rather heavily. A trickle of sweat fell down Rukia's brow and she wiped it away with a disgruntled sniff. She rubbed her wrist absently and looked out the window at the dark interior of a tunnel.

"My bad about your wrist," he mumbled. She looked back at him and immediately dropped her hand from where he had gripped her. He grinned. Typical Rukia. No weaknesses, right? Cheh.

"So where are we going anyway?"

"You'll see when we get there."

They were silent for a long while, watching the rice paddies and run-down, cluttered villages get left behind as they sped past. Ichigo kept his gaze on the outside world, but he was really looking back in. Rukia's reflection became one of awe as the shinkansen (bullet train) flew faster and faster along its tracks, topping at speeds of about two hundred fifty kilometers an hour. Though it was one of the smaller rail lines, it was still impressive for the shinigami.

Rukia began to nod off and fall deeper into her seat. Ichigo watched her jaw bob with drowsiness and as she slid farther, so did her small white skirt. Ichigo was about to yell at her about being too much of a show when he noticed she had finally dozed off. With a small, half-hearted swear he pulled off his stylishly retro jacket and laid it over her lap and arms. The air conditioning in those things could be frosty to say the least…

Why would Rukia be wearing something like that anyway? _White gogo boots_? Ichigo could understand wanting to fit in, but it seemed like "Megumi-san" had talked her into buying clothes suited for clubbing rather than casual wear. It probably didn't help her case that he _refused_ to believe that her outfit matched his jacket perfectly…

"Rukia, wake up," he said, tapping her arm. Her eyes fluttered open and she took a deep breath, working out the kinks in her neck. She was still sore and cringed when she tilted her head in an attempt to stretch.

"Are we there?" she slurred. A red mark…_graced_…her temple where she had let her head fall to the glass and Ichigo smirked once he noticed it, planning to embarrass her with it later.

"Aa. C'mon. The train's slowing down," he said, standing. Rukia followed after him, stumbling a bit as the train turned into a bend in the track. She grabbed onto the back of Ichigo's shirt to regain her balance and they both watched his jacket fall to the ground.

"Oops," Rukia said, stretching her hand towards it. Ichigo made a rather peculiar noise and held out his hands.

"No no no no! I got it!" he said, bending quickly and scooping the jacket up. A man sitting behind them let a grin slip off his face and scowled, averting his eyes to the train station outside his window.

"Next stop: Hiroshima City. Please exit through the left doors. Hiroshima City. Please exit through the left doors," a fakely cheery woman chirped quietly over the speakers. Her voice was followed by a few short "bings" and the two shinigami exited once the doors opened.

Ichigo slung his jacket over one shoulder and beckoned to Rukia. The number of people was almost ferocious, roaring with the sound of clunking heels, banging briefcases, and venders calling over customers. Ichigo stared at all the heads of black hair and had a spine-shuddering vision of Rukia seeing some child's rabbit-covered backpack and running off, never to be seen again. He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the stairs despite her protests. After they cleared the busiest part of the terminal, she plastered herself to a vending machine and pointed at a juice box with a cartoon bunny on the front. "Qoo" it read.

Ichigo withdrew the change from her shopping trip (which he was glad to have put in his jeans before they'd left) and slipped it into the coin receiver without a word. She listened intently as the juice crashed to the bottom of the machine and snatched it, holding it up to Ichigo.

"You know how to do that, Rukia," he said, looking at the crowds around them.

"Fine," she blurted and ripped the straw from the side of the large juice box. She stared at the straw and tilted her head, trying to figure out where the pointy part was…

"Baka," Ichigo breathed, pulling the juice box from her hand. He pulled the bottom of the straw out from the top of its tube and stuck it into the tinfoil hole. Rukia blinked.

"The straw wouldn't fit on the side of the box if they didn't compact it," he said flatly, walking away. Rukia ran after him and cursed quietly in his direction. They walked in silence out of the train station and Ichigo guided the small shinigami to a trolley station.

"Miyajima? What's Miyajima?" she asked, looking at the destination of the streetcar. Ichigo showed the driver another set of internet tickets and pushed Rukia into the car.

"You'll see. Now just get in there and damnit, Rukia, put on my jacket."

* * *

A/N: Yey! If you want to know what's in store for them, look up a google image search for "Miyajima." It's one of my favorite areas in Japan. This is where it starts getting interesting, folks! Wait for my next updates tomorrow and maybe you'll get a little taste of what you've all been waiting for (_not_ the dress, harhar).

Cultural Notes! (You _knew_ it was coming, don't lie.)

_Shinkansen _literally means "New Track Vehicle" put in _really_ simple terms. There are different lengths and speeds for different lines. Nozomi and Sanyo are probably the most famous rail lines. The Sanyo has the longest track, reaching from Tokyo to Hakata. Usually when you ride between Tokyo and anywhere south of the city, you'll ride the Sanyo line if you're traveling by shinkansen.

Those weird stick figures? What's up with that, right?! On all trains in Japan (except high class shinkansen) there's an area reserved for people with handicaps: pregnant women, people with disabilities or crutches and the elderly. The upholstery is an ugly brown and the figures are red, yellow, blue and green. And yes, old women really _do_ look at you funny if you're young and sit in that area.

_Qoo_ is a fruity kind of drink in Japan. I'm pretty sure they sell it in Suncoast here in America if there's one near you. In any case, there's almost always either a small retro bear on the front of the can or a bunny. You should also try Haichuu! Yummmmm…


	7. Wafer Mayhem

A/N: Hey everyone! I just posted another story (soon to be followed by two more) called Deeper Care. It's a LOT more serious than this I suppose, but you may want to check it out! The next two to come out are: April Fools and Ice on the River. Enjoy!

P.S. I've rewritten some of this chapter and added some notes at the end to help you out… I also found grammar mistakes, so they're gone now.

_Wafer Mayhem_

* * *

The ferry floated lazily upon the waters of the channel and a fresh, crisp breeze blew through Rukia's hair. She smiled brightly and leaned over the red, paint-chipped railing almost far enough to make Ichigo to worry. The muffled sound of a tour guide inside the cabin bobbed happily on the wind and drifted past their ears as they caught the perfect view of Miyajima Tori, the floating gate to the Itsukushima Shrine.

"It doesn't look _that_ big," Rukia contemplated, listening distantly to the guide's voice rattling off facts about the gateway. The sound of Ichigo's sincere laughter rang deep and strong.

"Well it _is_, dummy." He leaned against the railing with his elbows and a reminiscent look past over his features. His spiky orange hair blew stiffly in the ocean gusts.

"When I was little, my mom brought me here once a year. She said it was good for me to see things out of Karakura," he recalled with a smile on his face. "We'd take the ferry over and stand out here no matter how cold it was and watch the fishing boats go by."

"I'm sure it was wonderful," Rukia replied, looking down at a small shrimp skiff. Ichigo caught sight of it as well. When the distant silhouette of a fisherman on its deck appeared to get caught in a net and trip, they both grinned. Rukia sighed contently and Ichigo smiled at her, unable to help noticing the deep V neck of her zip-up blue top. Realizing his sincere gesture and unruly thoughts, he turned his head away and made the expression fall from his face. However, his attempt was short-lived as he heard her gasp sharply. Ichigo turned in a panic and grabbed her arm, a look of shock in his eyes. She looked at him perplexedly, her hand frozen mid-air above her hip. Her feet were planted squarely on the ground…_Damnit_.

"Ano…"

"S-sorry," he said, jerking away. A faint pink came to his cheeks as she raised her eyebrow.

"What was that for?" she asked.

"I thought you were falling off or something," he mumbled, turning his face away. She laughed, scorching his pride severely as he continued to grumble. He looked back at her as the teasing grin drooped into a frown of concentration.

"What?" Ichigo asked.

"My phone!" Rukia whined quietly, more to herself than to him. She slumped down against the windowsill of the cabin and sighed heavily. Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"We wouldn't be able to get any Hollows in Karakura from here anyway, ya know." She didn't reply, but knew he was right. It was just one of those objects that was oddly attached to her personality, where when she didn't have it, she felt naked and vulnerable. That's why it was so hard for her to believe she had forgotten it. Her clothes seemed too small now and she tried to make herself tiny against the side of the large boat, showing as little of her own skin as she possibly could. If she had just had her phone with her, she wouldn't have felt so…so _weak_…

As they approached the dock, the two shinigami hopped down the narrow metal stairs onto the main deck to join a large group of people and a few sputtering motorbikes. Ichigo grabbed Rukia's wrist gently, remembering her earlier bruises and guided her up the winding path to the welcome lounge of the island. Before she could smother herself on a vending machine, Ichigo bought her a bottle of juice (with a cute animal on the front _just_ to be thorough) and pushed her out the entrance to the Shrine grounds.

"Ooooo," she awed childishly, running towards a vender next to a small, run-down cart. 'Wafers, one hundred yen' a sign read next to his chair. The old man looked up at Rukia lazily as Ichigo handed him the coin and pointed to a small bundle of the food wordlessly. Ichigo eyed the group of deer conglomerating upon a group of American tourists as their supply of flat, dry pancakes ran out. He smirked. This would be interesting.

As soon as Rukia picked up the wafers, one of the dwarf deer came trotting up behind her. It nibbled on her skirt and tugged as she sniffed the bundle in her hands. Just as she was about to take a bite, she turned around to see what Ichigo wanted…Honestly, he could just tap her on the shoulder instead of tugging on her clothes… and screamed, her hair standing on end.

No less than ten miniature deer were closing in on her, their little pink tongues lapping hungrily at their noses. She glanced nervously at the bundle of wafers in her hand, threw them in the air and ran behind Ichigo.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" she yelled, clutching the back of his shirt. She felt so exposed, bare legs and arms and neck. Ichigo could barely contain his laughter as he fumbled with the flying wafers, trying to catch them on the tips of his fingers. He got a hold on them just before a small buck jumped up to catch them.

"They're deer," he replied simply. Rukia stared at him for a few moments, waiting for him to explain further.

"Okay, I know _that_. Why are they attacking us?" she asked, eyeing the small quadrupeds as they nipped wantonly at Ichigo's jacket and jeans. He laughed a bit and broke a wafer in half, feeding it to a doe.

"The food we just bought is for _them_, not you, baka" Ichigo teased with a smirk of great arrogance. His eyes flew open and the deer scattered as Rukia's heel met the small of his back. He landed nose first with a grinding thud on the pavement.

"OI!" he yelled, turning on her. The stack of wafers toppled down his shoulders in chunks and crums as the deer began to swarm over him. Rukia waved innocently as he was caught in the wave of hungry mammals and sat herself on a stone bench. She hummed quietly to herself, suppressing the sadistic grin that wanted to cloud her features. She couldn't allow her cheery façade to falter in front of the elderly vender, who was now staring at her with an open mouth. The man's gaze turned sluggishly toward Ichigo. The poor boy was being chased around the vast courtyard, frantically searching for the last wafer that they all hungered for.

Rukia giggled quietly behind her hand, her bubbly laughter drifting to his ears through the breeze. Ichigo looked at her, his face red, eyes wide. She waved again, flashing him her most sickeningly sweet smile. She pointed girlishly to the top of her head and Ichigo's hand flew to his brow, fumbling with the last wafer which had been stuck quite securely in his orange spikes. He frisbee'd the scrumptious little disk at Rukia and it landed in her lap.

Their shouts and insults could be heard echoing throughout the peaceful mountainside and courtyard for nearly half an hour as they practically played Monkey in the Middle with that one…little… wafer.

A/N: It was just a cute little scenario I imagined. Trust me, the deer on Miyajima are NUTS. Hope you liked it! Let me know if the links below are a good helper in visualizing the place they're at.

Whee, Culture Notes!

Miyajima's deer are small, fuzzy and cute. They're miniatures that you really can feed little wafers to. Mysteriously, they stay away from the old man who minds the wafers and his cart, but once you've got them in your hand, if you don't have them over they'll jump and nip and butt…It's really cute as long as you aren't afraid of them. I've seen people _run_ and get chased around the courtyard, no joke. The link below is what it's like to feed them wafers:

is one of the most famous images in Japan. It's a large, red water gate to the Miyajima shrine, which is built above a tidal bay connected to the ocean channel beyond it. The gate is thought to have been used for the entrance of spiritual pilgrims and for certain festivals, such as the Soragawa Matsuri (Milkyway Festival) and New Year's. Here are two links to what Miyajima Tori (first) and Itsukishuma Shrine (second) look like:

http://imagineressources. Disclaimer! I don't own any of these and found them through Google Image Search.


	8. Miyajima

A/N: Enjoy! I hope it fits your fancies! Oh! And if you'd like to see pictures of the Miyajima deer and the actual gate and shrine, check out the links at the bottom of chapter 7. It's a doozy! Hope you like it.

_Miyajima_

* * *

After the elderly vender finally brandished his stick at the deer, Rukia and Ichigo were able to escape to the dirt road leading to the Itsukushima Shrine, wafer crumbs tumbling down their clothes. Ichigo brushed a few morsels from his jacket with a grimace and walked silently next to his shorter counterpart. They had been quiet for several minutes as the small shinigami took in the sight of the red water shrine with childish awe.

Ichigo looked at his watch. Four-thirty. Picking up the pace, he guided Rukia off the underdeveloped path and led her to a street shaded with large tarps, busy shops lining both sides of the walkway. Tourists with cameras and open wallets dotted the stores, persuaded by cheery salespersons selling their products. Ichigo abruptly stopped at a well-lit, but small food kiosk.

"Manjuu? What's Manjuu?" Rukia asked, immediately walking up to the edge of the mobile stand. A somewhat greasy man smiled with gapping teeth at her and Ichigo immediately pushed himself into the merchant's line of vision. He growled a little, noting that Rukia hadn't discerned the man's obvious gawking as she continued to rattle off the limited menu to herself.

"Yes, uh what can I do for you, sir?" he coughed with embarrassment. Ichigo kept his scowl intact as he ordered two chocolate-filled manjuu and forked over the money roughly. Rukia hummed quietly as she continued to watch small, pancake like candies steaming in hot molds behind the counter. Ichigo shoved a hot, leaf-shaped candy in her face and she took it with a curious squeak.

"What is it? I refuse to eat it unless you tell me," she said, trying to sound unimpressed as she sniffed it. Ichigo sighed as they walked down the cobblestone street. It was gradually becoming steeper, the shops less busy.

"It's a manjuu. It has chocolate in it. Eat it," he said with a somewhat strained voice. Rukia nibbled quietly on the cake, her face brightening as she looked at a large pagoda in the distance. Itsukushima Shrine was soon out of sight as they made their way up the base of the mountainside. The landscape changed from the heavily populated shops and loud bustle of restaurants to the more peaceful pond gardens. Signs at forks in the road appeared upon occasion and Ichigo continuously made his way toward a thing called the "Ropeway." Though Rukia was tired, the view was beautiful and she was willing to keep her mouth shut for the sake of the beauty on the island. It astounded her that birds chirped so freely in life, but were too afraid to sing in Seireitei. Actually, she realized, it was rare to see a wild animal at all in the spiritual world. She smiled sadly. At least her gigai could let her enjoy the peace, even if for just a while.

As they turned a wide bend in the uphill trail, the trees cleared and a small, obscure station was revealed. A small cabin swung slothfully on a thick metal rope as a couple of straggling tourists stepped in, impressed with themselves for finding the hidden spot. The two shinigami entered the cabin and both parties settled themselves into the awkward silence. An older man with a map curled in his hand sat next to a woman, presumably his wife who had dyed brown hair meticulously combed and styled. She nodded to Rukia. She returned the gesture and tried to hide the fact that her feet didn't quite touch the ground when she sat with her back to the window.

As the car jerked and began to rise slowly in the air, Rukia twisted around to watch the ground fall below them. A recorded voice began to spout information in English from a speaker above their heads. Ichigo caught a lot of what the spokeswoman said, but kept his face expressionless, his arms crossed. When he turned to tell Rukia she should study more in English, he nearly fell off their bench.

The petite woman was kneeling on the cushion, her nose pressed up against the glass, her breath making the window cloudy in outward streaks from her nostrils. It would have been a funny sight if not for the dangerously short skirt she happened to be wearing.

"I think I just saw a monkey! Look, Ichigo, in the bamboo!" she said excitedly, prodding the glass with her index finger. Ichigo pushed her back into her seat with a rough hand.

"HEY! What was _that_ for?!" she said, rubbing her backside where he'd hit her. She pouted angrily and Ichigo growled, his rage nearly getting the better of him.

"BAKA! You're not allowed to wear that skirt _ever_ again," he said, crossing his arms.

"You don't get to choose what clothes I wear!"

"YES I DO."  
"NO YOU DON'T."

The English tourists sitting on the other side of the cart hid their smiles as they listened to the jibberjabber of the two shinigami. The man looked at his wife who shook her head.

"I tell you what, Jared, Japanese couples are just _too cute_." Rukia smacked Ichigo's forehead repeatedly, proclaiming her independence and ability to choose her own style.

"Mmhmm…She looks a little young though," the man speculated, looking over his glasses. His wife waved the comment away and crossed her legs.

"Nonsense. Don't Asians tend to age much better than we do anyway? I bet it's all that fish in their diet…Anyway, I bet she's older than you think," she winked. He shrugged and picked up his camera, turning toward the vast bamboo thicket below them.

"That outfit is WAY too revealing for someone like you!"

"Megumi-san said it was appropriate for my age!" she retorted haughtily. Ichigo snorted, towering over her with an arrogant smirk.

"Cheh, are you kidding? You're older than my _grandmother_." Rukia growled and stomped on his foot with a satisfying crunch.

"Actually, Rukia. I take that back. You're older than my grandma _and grandpa COMBINED_!!!" Ichigo yelled in her ear. With hands faster than the eye he slammed his palm into her forehead and zipped up the front of her blue top. As she held her forehead in pain, he threw his jacket over her figure and scooted to the other side of the cabin. The jacket still over her face, she made a desperate lunge and hit air with an exasperated shriek.

"Oooooo, where are you?! I'm going to KILL you," she hissed, her muffled threat and rising temper making the air crackle menacingly.

"Cheh, baka. You can't even _hit_ me from there," Ichigo smirked, his arms crossed. Rukia ripped his jacket off her face and blew her matted hair from her eyes. It stood in unruly puffs on her head, completely disheveled. Ichigo hid a laugh behind a loud cough.

Before Rukia could plant her white, pleather boot in his cheek, the ropeway cabin jolted and began to slow. All four passengers looked out the window and saw the station on the top of the mountain come into view.

"You'd better be glad those two are here or else I'd kick your sorry spirit out the window," Rukia mumbled under her breath. Ichigo snorted.

"You don't even have your glove, shorty. Now put that on unless you want me to turn it into a modified straight jacket," the redhead warned. Grumbling, Rukia put the jacket on and zipped it up. The sleeves engulfed her hands and the body of the jacket cascaded frumpily down her thighs. She attempted to cross her arms, but the lengthy sleeves got tangled together. As the cabin halted in its swaying stall, Rukia pushed in front of the others and stomped off the platform, trudging straight toward the trail to their left. The foreign couple that had taken the ropeway with them blinked at Ichigo and he forced a smile, bowing slightly.

"Ah, sorii," he said, attempting English.

"Oh, no problem," the older man said, blinking a bit in surprise.

"Senkyuu," Ichigo replied, running after his charge. The couple watched them run until they were out of sight and started strolling up the path toward the observatory at the top of the mountain, map in hand.

"He seemed like a very caring young man, wouldn't you say?" the woman said, linking her arm with her husband. He nodded distractedly, frowning at their map.

"Yes of course, dear."

* * *

"Oi! Rukia! Get back here!" Ichigo panted as he chased after her up the mountain. She froze for a moment, but then seemed to quicken her original pace despite his command and tripped on a loose rock. She continued to run upwards steadily, urgently, despite a scrape on her knee and palms. As Ichigo was just starting to contemplate throwing his shoe at her head (you know, just hard enough to knock her out) she jumped into the bushes and _off the trail_. Ichigo growled and leaped in after her.

That's when he saw it. A big, fluffy, brown rabbit with large, floppy ears and a puffy white tail. Oh dear _gods_…

"Rukia, stop!" he shouted. Under normal circumstances, her gigai didn't seem to have nearly his stamina, but now that a fluffy little creature was her prey, she seemed to have preternatural speed and endurance. Sweat flew from Ichigo's brow as he fought to catch the small woman. Just as he was about to get within reach of her shoulder, she pressed herself against a boulder and peeked over the edge, standing on her tiptoes. Ichigo's eyes widened and he put his hands out, catching most of his weight with his arms braced against the boulder on either side of her shoulders. Rukia shushed him and he sank to the ground rolling his eyes.

"You're an idiot," he said plainly, too exhausted to have an argument. He looked at her knee and saw a trickle of blood sneaking down the side of her shiny white boot. He grunted insultingly at her and looked up in time to see her shoulders droop sadly. She turned around and began walking back the way they'd come. Ichigo blinked, his anger forgotten with her sad expression and he stood, peeking over the boulder to find nothing but trees and underbrush. He jogged up to her and tried to get her to look at him.

"R-Rukia? Rukia? Oi, what's wrong?" he asked, inclining his head to see her face. She snorted and turned away, crossing her arms.

"The rabbit got away, baka," she snapped. Ichigo snarled, clamping his jaw tightly.

"Oh come on. It's not like you've never seen a rabbit," he retaliated, defending himself vehemently. They were quiet the rest of the way back to the trail, their pace quick and irate. Ichigo pointed back down the mountain and Rukia walked ahead of him, her head held high in the air. Her escort rolled his eyes.

After a few minutes of silent walking, both forgot most of their anger as thoughts of other things began to plague the quiet. Ichigo's eyes strayed to his jacket, hanging limply around Rukia's bare legs. He had never noticed how well sculpted her le– He _refused_ to be thinking of that. Despite his vain effort to think of other things, he found it was becoming harder and harder to get her image out of his head. Then again, it could have been a side effect of his throbbing foot. The heels on those boots _really_ hurt. But at least they looked good on he–

"C'mon. We're going to get some food. I'm starving," he said, nodding to a set of cobblestone steps. They descended the staircase and landed on mossy ground before a small, rundown restaurant built specifically for people touring the mountainside. A crystal clear, tinkling river lay just beyond a small bluff and several people could be seen eating their bento along the bank.

Rukia leaned against the cheap metal counter as a very tiny old woman bowed and wiped off her hands on a stained white apron.

"Irasshaimase! Can I help you two?" she said in a rickety, homely voice. Rukia smiled warmly at her. Ichigo withdrew his wallet from his jean pocket and asked for two yakisoba and two Qoo apple juices.

Rukia hopped over to a large boulder in the middle of the riverbed and sat down, hugging her knees. Ichigo lagged behind, wobbling slightly on a rock as he toted their food with him. They ate in absolute silence, listening to the birds sing in perfect harmony with the sound of the leaves in the breeze and the trickling of water around them. Rukia stored the sounds in her memory, refusing to ever forget their melody. Long after their lunch was over they sat, watching people come and go with their families and friends. It brought them both a sense of peace.

The sound of laughter echoed through Ichigo's head as he imagined a younger version of himself running across the red bridge farther down the small river, his mother not far behind. Her voice as she caught him felt warm in his heart and he smiled to himself. He could almost feel her fingertips scurrying across his ribs as he writhed in a fit of tickle-induced giggles. He had no shame when he was eight. It was amazing what damage one year's events could do to a small boy's sense of guilt. Rukia yawned and he sighed away the memories as they began to fade, a frown chasing away his boyish smile. He glanced at his watch and stood up to stretch. Rukia looked up at him and he motioned for her to pick up the remains of her disposable bento and follow him.

"Where are we going now?" she asked as she bounced along beside him, taking two steps to his one. He shushed her and separated their trash into its respected bin. Ichigo pulled Rukia towards an overgrown path off the main picnicking area. They heaved up the uneven stone steps and passed a decrepid shrine which caught the petite woman's attention. Rukia looked at it a moment, lagging behind. It seemed to groan with age and wise, heavy life. She couldn't take her eyes off it. Things didn't age like this in Soul Society. They were never given the chance…

Ichigo turned to her and urged her up the incline. Rukia followed silently until they reached a small clearing, a boulder in the face of the mountain surrounded by rich, ancient flora. Ichigo stopped on the stone surface and pointed out over the canopy of the sloping mountain towards the shrine and pagoda below. Miyajima Tori was a silhouette against the sparkling ocean waters. A perfect view as the sun fell behind the mountains on the main island.

"You'll never find a sunset like this in Karakura," Ichigo boasted with pride. Though the spot was forgotten by most, he would always remember it. It was nice to share it with someone after so many years. He hadn't even shown his sisters when they had come the year before. It was a sacred place to him, and it seemed right to share it with Rukia.

"Thank you…for bringing me here," Rukia said, her cheeks a delicate shade of pink. Ichigo smiled at her and they both turned to watch the sun's last rays fall in an array of brilliant hues. Rukia let her body feel the sun's warmth descend behind the horizon and a cool evening breeze sweep gently through her hair. In spirit form, the living world seemed so…_lifeless_. You could feel no heat or cold, you couldn't smell the delicate fragrance of living bark or ripe fruit. The only thing you could feel was the Hollow and your comrades. Even that, she thought, couldn't always be felt. The world was stark and cold as a shinigami.

Before she knew what she was doing, Rukia wrapped her arms around Ichigo's waist, burying her cheek in his chest. He looked down with perplexed eyes as his face became scarlet. He began to speak but let the words escape as a breath. Rukia was watching the colors in the sky dance and diminish with such intensity he couldn't bring himself to kill the deafening silence. He could tell she felt the death of day as if she were human for the first time, no longer a spirit in a husk.

Ichigo slowly lowered his hands to her arms and let them slide around her shoulders, holding her closer to him. She tightened her arms around his waist and breathed a sorrowful sigh.

"The sun looks like it's crying, Ichigo. Is this what living people see when the sun sets?" she asked with real confusion and pain in her voice. Ichigo sighed and thought seriously about her question. He watched the large, bright orb lose to the deep blue of night, and listened as the world became still.

"I guess…most people become content when the sun sets, because they know it'll rise again the next day," he spoke softly. The warmth of her body against his was soothing, an idea he thought he'd never let his mind finish mulling over. Her slight frame fit perfectly against his and he cradled her head gently. It was a profound moment. He felt neither awkward nor embarrassed holding her so close despite their arguments. In fact, it felt comfortable as they stood for several minutes in the secluded clearing, listening to the setting sun's eulogy.

* * *

A/N: …Oooo, TGK pulled a fast one on you! I hope that wasn't too OOC. I was going to have it looked over before I posted, but I promised an update and here it is! The rabbit scene is a bit choppy, but you'll find out more about it in the next chapter, promise!

Cultural Goodies!

_Irasshaimase_ is how salespeople invite you into their store. You have to go through training when you first become an employee somewhere in order to learn what tone you should say the word, how far you should bow, even how to clasp your hands together. It's an intense business!

_Bento_ is basically a lunchbox.

I think that's it! Let me know if I missed something. _Manjuu_ is explained sort of in the story, but they're famous on Miyajima, so if you ever go, you MUST get one! (They come with cream, red bean paste, custard, or chocolate filling…Red bean paste, mmm, yummy!)


	9. An Awkward Invitation

A/N: I thought I should get this chapter out fast so that the last scene of 8 isn't lost too quickly. Enjoy! I'd also like to thank **andraq **and **Satan Hat** for being consistent support and encouragement to continue the story. Thanks you two, you're the best!

_An Awkward Invitation_

* * *

Ichigo watched the landscape, stuck on the surface of the earth as their shinkansen went speeding past. The rust on many of the gates and roofs, the damp, almost black wood that was the building blocks for entire villages seemed to blend into the surrounding countryside, as if the world was sucking the changeless farming communities down into the dirt. 

His eyes refocused as they played a trick that was becoming more and more frequently used. He looked at Rukia's reflection as she sat almost rigidly next to him, her showy boots propped up on the seat across from them. Her shoulders were slouched only slightly to keep her balance, but the real sternness in her body was the intensity of her deep, ocean-like eyes. She hadn't looked at him at all since they'd gotten on the train, hadn't spoken a thanks when he made sure to buy her a juice on the way out. Not even one single _squeak_ of protest when he'd mumbled a short joke.

"Rukia?" he said quietly. His voice shatterred the silence like a bat to a mirror. The small woman snapped out of her thoughts and looked up at him with an almost expressionless gaze.

"Aa."

"I…ah, that…er, nevermind," he mumbled. She looked like a doll, eyes that saw right through a person. He turned back to the window. He wasn't sure what he had wanted to say. Hanabi Matsuri was just a day away, he suddenly realized. He realized with a great amount of shock that he was about to ask her to come with him, away from his family. He wanted to show her the festival grounds like he had shown her Miyajima today. He sat dumb-founded, unable to believe that he had almost asked her...on a _date_?

Rukia leaned back against the seat with a heavy sigh and fidgeted with her bottle of juice. It sloshed timidly from inside the container and she traced the outline of the small, happy bunny on the cover.

"I'd never seen one, you know," she said quietly. The sound of her voice was heart breaking, like a sorrowful animal with their ears turned back, tail dragging limply across the ground. Ichigo would have done anything to make the impression fade from his mind, he thought. What was more shocking to him was that he allowed his soft-hearted musings to finish their train of thought. It was something he had never let himself do before...

"What?" he asked, blinking away his daydreams. He had completely forgotten she had started talking. They kept their voices low as most of the passengers around them were asleep. It must have been past midnight by now…

"A rabbit. I wasn't even sure if that really _was_ one when I first spotted it. They look a lot different than Chappy…" she trailed off. Ichigo let a small, almost imperceptible smile tug at one side of his mouth.

"There aren't rabbits in Soul Society?" he asked. Rukia, the pout of a scolded child on her features, shook her head and continued to look at the lovable little icon on the bottle in her hand.

"Then it's a good thing you saw a real one. They're hard to find in Japan unless you go to a big pet store, y'know," Ichigo said, leaning his head against the back of the seat. He stared up at the racks of luggage above them and had a sickening vision of a suitcase falling on Rukia's head. It made him smirk in that arrogant way of his.

"I never thought they'd be so fast. And they walk on four legs?" she asked. Ichigo couldn't contain his smile as he tried not to laugh, for fear of waking an elderly woman in the seat in front of them.

"Bounce more or less, I guess," he chuckled, scratching the back of his head. The train slowed at Kyoto Eki (Kyoto Station) and both were quiet as they watched the beautiful temple-scape and imperial palace get left behind as they departed from the busy station about five minutes later.

"How much longer till we get home?" Rukia asked as the minutes ticked by. Ichigo glanced at his watch, nearly one in the morning. The little shinigami yawned. He couldn't blame her, he was starting to get tired himself.

"A while," he said cryptically. Rukia gave him a condescending look and twisted herself up on the seat next to him, her head leaning against her armrest awkwardly. She squirmed for several minutes before sitting back up with a frustrated huff. Ichigo watched her with a spark of amusement in his eyes. She gave it one more try, turning on her back with her legs off the seat somewhat lopsidedly. She bit back a growl of irritation as her rear slid off the seat and she was forced to sit straight again.

"What are _you_ looking at?" she hissed at him. Ichigo snorted and looked away, his stupid, boyish grin still plastered to his face. At least she was back to her old self. He began to remember parts of their trip, almost picturing them in the reflection of the glass. Moments of content silence, pulling her by her wrist through a swarm of deer, chasing after a rabbit...He wondered what a hand as small as hers felt like in held in his...

Ichigo chanced a look at her, his expression gentle. Those raven black waves of hair obscured her face, which hung limply in front of her. She'd fallen asleep sitting, her chin propped up against her chest. Cradled gently between her wilted fingers was the half-empty bottle of juice, swilling gently as the train turned a sharp bend in the track.

Ichigo's ear twitched as the sound of shuffling luggage could be heard above their heads. He looked up curiously and nearly shrieked. A large, heavy briefcase was tumbling down the side of the shelf, the sharp, black corner angled straight towards Rukia's unsuspecting neck.

"Yabai!" he whispered a yell instinctively and caught it with one broad hand, sheltering Rukia's head under his wall of a chest. She yelped and her bottle went flying down the aisle to the front of the car. He had just a moment to think about his earlier visualization before his charge's muffled cry of anger reached his ears. He braced himself for the inevitable and sucked in a silent gasp as she punched him hard in the stomach.

"Baka! What are you doing?!" Rukia sizzled, pushing him away. She looked at him wide-eyed, breath coming quickly from the fear of disaster as she woke up. Ichigo waved the briefcase in her face.

"It was about to fall on your head! I think you'd hate me even more if I let it fall. Cheh, maybe I should have. At least then you would have stayed unconscious," Ichigo boasted, waiting for her to retaliate. When he opened his eyes from his pseudo-proud expression, he saw her looking intently at the seats in front of them.

"My juice went that way. Go get it," she commanded, pointing toward the door to the next car. Ichigo growled and gritted his teeth.

"Fine."

He stood and threw the small, but deadly piece of luggage back on to the rack abovean_ empty_ bench and sauntered towards the front of the car. He found it under a snoring businessman's seat and grumbled, looking back at the expectant Rukia, her arms crossed. He sighed and fell to his stomach, reaching for the beverage as quietly as he could. He pulled it towards him and stood, a look of triumph on his face. The previously snoring businessman stared up at him incredulously. Ichigo laughed nervously, coughed and flashed the bottle in front of the man before striding quickly back to his seat, a bright red blush on his cheeks. When he tried to hand the drink back to Rukia, he found that she was once again fast asleep.

* * *

Rukia awoke the next morning to the warmth of the sun and a light breeze floating through the open window next to Ichigo's desk. Her closet door had been left open. She was tucked snuggly in a thick comforter and her boots, she saw, were placed neatly against the foot of her host's bed. He, however, was nowhere to be seen. 

Rukia sat straight up in her bed, afraid the perhaps his sisters had found her. Or worse, his _dad_. She jumped out of the closet and muffled a shriek, noticing that her skirt from the previous day was practically around her hips. She pulled it down and pressed her ear against the door.

No noise. Wait. Something in the kitchen.

"What's with this stupid rice maker, anyway? OUCH, _damnit_!" Ichigo. Rukia let go a sigh of relief as the shinigami downstairs battered kitchen appliances in a frustrated rage. She turned away and stretched, her clothes feeling worn and itchy. The kind of feeling you get when you've stayed in your pajamas all weekend. A ray of warm sunlight shined down on her toes and a smile graced her rosy lips when she wiggled her feet on the carpet.

Rukia turned back to her large drawer with a content sigh and inspected the neatly folded clothing before her, weighing her choices carefully. She picked up the first tank top on the pile (a cloudy blue) and a pair of mid-calf khakis. After trying on the outfit, she decided to wait for the pants and shrugged them off her ankles. The jeans people wore in the living world seemed so _constricting_. She pulled on a jean skirt and was just about the open the door when the knob turned from the otherside.

Ichigo opened the door casually, but hesitated once he noticed Rukia standing in front of him. He closed his cell phone and walked into the room, a platter in his other hand. He grunted a good morning and set the food on the desk for Rukia to eat as he fell to his mattress with a tired sigh. Rukia sat down at the desk and began picking at her rice. She grinned, knowing that Ichigo had trouble handling the arduous task of rice-making. It was a wonder the boy could handle shinigami powers at al–

"That was Keigo," he said abruptly. Rukia looked up from her bowl and shrugged, slurping up a noodle hungrily.

"So?" she sputtered distractedly. Ichigo crossed his arms behind his head.

"He wants you to go with him to Hanabi Matsuri," Ichigo grumbled, his scowl deepening. Rukia blinked.

"Like a–?

"Date. Right."

"I refuse," Rukia said sternly, returning to her brunch.

"I already told him you'd say no," Ichigo grunted, looking away. Rukia looked at him, an udon noodle dangling from her mouth. She raised her eyebrow and made a circling motion with her chopsticks, as if to tell him to continue his explanation. When he refused to answer, she set down her bowl of noodles, took another heaping mass of rice into her mouth and set down her chopsticks. His face was slowly becoming a curious shade of purple…

"_Ichigo_? What did you say I'm doing?"

"I didn't."

"Then why are you turning a funny color?"

Ichigo was silent for several minutes and continually moved away from Rukia as she practically crawled over him, trying to make him look at her. He finally got fed up with her antics and shoved her off the bed roughly. She landed on his disheveled pillow with a squeak and snatched it out from under her rear, launching it at his head. The following stare-down would repel even Kenpachi from the room. Ichigo snarled and looked away, letting her win the fight.

"He _assumed_ that we're going as a couple since I was so…threatening when he asked if I knew your number. He invited us to go to dinner tonight before the festival. He said it was the least he could do for "the winning man." Cheh," Ichigo grumbled, his ears still a vivid pink. To his surprise, by the time he'd counted down from three he _wasn't_ pelted with books from his shelves or Rukia's modest collection of shoes.

"Okay," she chimed, turning back to her noodles. Ichigo eyed her suspiciously and crawled back up to his bed, his face menacingly close to hers. He tapped her head and she prodded him with the blunt end of her chopsticks without losing the rhythm of her noodle eating. Ichigo sighed in defeat, confused.

"Fine. Be ready to leave at six thirty. My family's already gone. My dad's a bit nuts about the festival and dragged the girls to camp out at the riverbank last night. So if you want to take a bath or something, knock yourself out, ne," he said, heaving himself off the bed. "I'll be downstairs watching TV or something."

As the door shut, Rukia let the wide, mischievous grin spread across her features. It had been hard not to keep hidden. A date, hmm? She could give him a date. This was what the woman in the lingerie store would call the perfect time to "wrap him around her finger" whatever that meant. Quickly shoving the rest of her rice into her mouth, the shinigami grabbed her boots and perched herself on Ichigo's window while she zipped them up. Jumping down to the pavement, she raced off to the shopping district in Karakura. It was time to revisit Megumi-san.

A/N: I think you all know what's coming in TWO CHAPTERS! That's right! The Little Black Dress is chapter eleven, everyone! I know, it's been a long haul for the debut, but it'll be _great_, I promise.


	10. Well, actually

A/N: I just couldn't keep you waiting.. Also, chapter 3 of **Deeper Care** is now up. Enjoy! OH! Sorry for all the grammar mistakes in the last chapter. A lot of the editing I did _right_ before I posted it.

_Well, actually…_

* * *

Flashback

Ichigo fell into his chair at the dining room table and glared at the rice maker, grumbling insults. He almost wished that it would come to life so he could exterminate it. A small, brutal burn on his hand stung mockingly. He looked down at it as the area nearly pulsed with heat. He would have to have Yuzu check it out when they got home the next day. As much as he'd hate to admit it, he wasn't sure where she'd keep burn aid supplies…

His eyes strayed to the note Yuzu had scribbled as their father undoubtedly pulled her out the front door. They wouldn't be home until the next day, late afternoon. He was grateful for the peace and quiet, but more thankful for their absence the night before. Rukia had been so tired that after they got out of the train station, he had carried her on his back the rest of the way home. If his father had been awake, it would have been hard to explain why a scantily clad girl, wearing Ichigo's jacket, was asleep on his son's shoulder. The fight he imagined in his head made him cringe. It was lucky that his dad _always_ insisted they go a day early to the riverbank for Hanabi Matsuri.

A rumbling on the table caught his attention. Spinning in circles, bouncing with an audible vibration, his small black phone began to ring. The jingle of a bell on a Miyajima trinket he had bought for his phone the day before was muffled by his palm as he pulled the device towards him and peered at the screen. Keigo. _Great_…

"Moshi moshi," he said, flipping his phone open. Keigo began squawking excitedly on the other end and Ichigo pulled the phone away from his ear.

"Osu, Ichi-kun!!!" he yelled. Ichigo rolled his eyes. Typical Keigo. Always so…_bouncy_. The shinigami found himself grinning. Good ol' Keigo.

"Aa. Whatcha need?" he said, a twinge of amusement escaping his voice.

"I've been calling _everyone_ trying to figure out Kuchiki Rukia's number, but no one seems to have it! Not even _Inoue_, can you believe that?! Anyway, I thought that since you two seem to be together all the time, you might have it," he rushed. Ichigo raised his eyebrow and leaned back in his chair.

"No idea, why?"

"You _really_ don't have it? Or are you _hiding_ it from me? AH! You're trying to keep her all for yourself! I'm being left out AGAIN!" The self-pitying rants continued for a few minutes as Ichigo sputtered defensively into the receiver.

"O-oi! Keigo, shut up! What do you want with her? I'll be seeing her later today," he explained, smacking himself in the face.

"Oh really?! Well I was just hoping that Rukia-san would accompany me to the Hanabi Matsuri! It would be a dream come true if she'd grace me with her beauty…" he fantasized theatrically. Ichigo could see his star-struck features and frantic gestures almost perfectly as his friend rambled. He was tempted to purchase a tranquilizer gun…

"…And then as we watch the fireworks on a picnic blanket on a secluded, _romantic_ bluff, she'll lean her head into my shoulder and I'll steal a _kiss_!! Perfection, eh Ichigo! Ah, Ichigo?"

_Kiss_. The word echoed through his mind, a mockery of his sense of pride. A clown taunting him in a maze or mirrors. _Kiss_. It sounded bitter and sharp on his mind's tongue. Ichigo growled as a deep blood red hue crept up his face. His grip on the phone was dangerously tight as Keigo's voice cracked over the other end nervously.

"I-Ichigo? Are you there?"

"Aa."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Oh. Okay! Well anyway, I was wondering if you could tell her to call me about tonight. I've got it all planned. It's going to be perfection, _absolute_ perfectio–"

"She won't be able to go with you, Keigo-kun."

There was a deflated silence as Keigo's voice halted abruptly in a disappointed sigh.

"But…but why?! Who's she going with! Tell me, I HAVE TO KNOW!" he shrieked pathetically. Ichigo's expression became stony and he sat up in his chair with new resolve.

"She's going with me." The words spoken aloud from his throat, made Ichigo's stomach do flips, his cheeks flaring with new heat. He swallowed roughly as Keigo squeaked feebly for several minutes, continuously failing to speak words.

"But…but you said you two were just friends!" he whined finally. It was obvious to Ichigo that his friend's heart was broken in his usual whimsical way. (Ah, puberty…)

"W-what are you saying! Just because we're going to Hanabi Matsuri together doesn't mean that it's a–"

"It _is_ a date! I can tell, you sound nervous! Ichigo how could you do this to me! I thought we were buds! How long have you been seeing each other behind everyone's backs, hmm? Spill!"

"Oh COME ON."

Ichigo was becoming hysterical. He was stuck. He was stuck in a hole he dug himself and there was no way to get out. He was stuck in a BIG hole with people watching on all sides while he tried to scramble up the dirt. NAKED.

"Fine, if you won't tell me then that's okay," Keigo sniffled "bravely." Ichigo rolled his eyes. This was a mess. "In any case, _Mizuiro_ and I are going to dinner with Chad, Inoue and that one kid… ah, Ishida, ne. Though this has been a heavy blow, you two are invited to come along. We're meeting at the ferry at seven. It's the least I can do for the winning man."

"Fine, see you then."

"Okay," Keigo sniffled dramatically and hung up the phone with a huff. Ichigo slammed his head down on the table and groaned. What a _disaster_.

The click of the rice maker sounded softly on the counter and Ichigo looked up, happy to have something to do while he brainstormed an excuse to tell Rukia in concerns to their "date." Ichigo's stomach was batted around by a storm of butterflies while he spooned out a bowl of rice and poured some udon noodles out from a boiling pot on the stove. The close heat of the oven stung his wounded hand and he pulled it away quickly.

"Damnit," he said to himself, pulling out a tray from the kitchen cabinets. He leaned his weight against the counter and rubbed his neck, looking at the ceiling. He was stalling…

In truth, he was looking forward to the festival. He'd be able to show her around and watch the fireworks with her. Though he was sure she'd seen fireworks in Soul Society, it was a bit different to watch them being shot off a barge, stuck in a throng of excited people. Dinner, on the other hand, was going to be embarrassing. After all, Keigo was surely calling every one of their classmates, spreading the "heartbreaking news." Ichigo would never live it down.

With a heaving sigh, he put the bowls of food on the tray and started for the stairs, quickly thinking of what he might say to Rukia.

A/N: dunDunDUN. You know what's next! It'll be in _at least_ two chapters, if not three. Have fun reading! Hope it makes you smile and squeal with fluffy joy.

Cultural stuff!

_Moshi moshi_ is how you say hello on the phone. (In Chinese it's _Wei_. Whee)

_Osu_ is a more boyish way to say good morning. It's rough and playful. Another good one for teens is _Oha_. It's a bit more feminine though.


	11. The Debut

A/N: Knock yourself out, guys!_  
_

_The Debut_

* * *

Ichigo waited impatiently at the base of the stairs, pacing with his phone in hand. He flipped it open and looked at the display screen anxiously. Six-forty. They weren't going to make it to the ferry on time as it was unless they sprinted.

"Oi Rukia! Hurry up, wouldja?!" he yelled, but even as his voice urged her to come down the stairs, his body was tight with anxiety. What should he expect? She had been up there far longer than he'd anticipated. He couldn't imagine Rukia wearing anything but his sister's jumpers and that outfit she had worn to Miyajima had put a lump in Ichigo's throat, despite his denial. On the other hand, he couldn't say he hadn't cleaned up, wearing a crisp pair of black slacks and a casual white dress shirt, the sleeves rolled lazily up his forearms, neck unbuttoned stylishly. He tried to convince himself that the only reason he'd worn the outfit was to look convincing for Keigo. No matter how much he didn't want to face the gossip once school started back up, he'd prefer that over Rukia being left unprotected. "Fresh meat," he'd heard some kid call her in the hallway…

Ichigo shoved his phone deep into his pocket, unwilling to worry about it anymore. The little bell on his phone trinket jingled merrily as he walked the entrance way nervously. A faint click as his door slowly eased away from the doorframe caught his attention and he stopped his anxious footing. His heart quickened to an almost dizzying pace and his stomach whirled while he desperately tried to calm himself down. It was just Rukia after all.

Ichigo's lips parted in silent surprise. It was _not _just Rukia. A small, black dress hung elegantly from her shoulders and hips, hugging her figure in all the right places. The neck like was like a basin, showcasing her delicate collarbones and sitting on her shoulders at just the point before falling down her arms, but still retained an almost dangerously low curve upon her chest. Her breasts seemed modestly teasing, voluptuous, but unwilling to divulge any of her body's secrets. The skirt, which was short by Rukia's normal standards, flowed like water as her hips swayed, manipulating an admirer like the mesmerizing rhythm of a snake guru's wooden flute.

As she majestically descended the stairs, Ichigo tried his best to close his lips and force a scowl upon them, but found it was no use. She'd be able to see right through it.

"Sorry that took so long," Rukia began, her usual self, "I couldn't figure out which color went where." She flailed her arms in the air with frustration and Ichigo smirked, biting back the snide comment wanting to escape his throat. He didn't want to ruin the moment. She smiled at him with a look of confusion. That smile, framed with glistening pink lips, made his heart skip a beat as he tried to excavate words from the tip of his dry tongue.

"We won't be able to get to the ferry now," he said with some difficulty. "But no big deal, ne. I doubt it would have been very fun to spend the night with Keigo sulking in the corner," he mused quickly, avoiding her reprimands. She smirked and nodded, walking toward the door. Ichigo watched her make for the entrance, her black heels in hand. Tendrils of hair fell from a French twist securely held with a beautiful, deep-sea blue and silver clip. The rocking of her hips was absolutely _intoxicating_…

Ichigo shook his head and gathered up his best scowl, choosing to ignore the way she stumbled, mumbling to herself cutely about how difficult fastening her heels could be while she was standing. He slipped on his shoes and held open the door for her. As she passed, a draft of night breeze perfume teased his senses. He was glad for the cover of the darkened streets, for fear she would see his nervous blush as they strolled wordlessly through the subdivision.

"We match pretty well, huh?" Rukia said after a long silence. Ichigo's chest tightened. She inspected his outfit with a casual eye, her thoughts lingering on how smooth his silhouette was.

"Aa."

Silence. Rukia mulled over the feel of wearing heels and weighed pros and cons. It was nice to feel her posture become more confident, but she could feel that they'd become sore after a while…

"When did you get that dress?" Ichigo asked, trying desperately to sound only casually interested. Rukia smirked. Megumi-san was right. Men in the real world were far easier to control under their current circumstances. _You'll have him wrapped around your finger_. The words echoed through her head and she found herself blushing, understanding finally what that meant.

"When you took me shopping the other day. Megumi-san said I should get the whole outfit, including the heels, the hairclip and the lingeri–"

"It fits you well. Much better than what you wore yesterday. I swear if you ever wear that skirt again in public I'll pummel you," he interrupted quickly, trying to cover for the compliment. His face was a bright red. Oh gods, if she had matching _lingerie_…

"What, so I'm only allowed to wear it around _you_?" she asked sarcastically. Ichigo's expression froze as he dug his hole deeper and deeper.

"Wha –no! You can't wear it at all!"

"Why?!"

"Because people look at you, baka!" he retorted, thinking of the foreign couple in the ropeway cabin the day before. He hadn't been sure what they talked about, but he was certain they said something about them.

"Cheh," Rukia snorted, crossed her arms and looked away. The gentle slop of her neck and the deep valley of her breasts glowed in the yellow light of the streetlamps. Ichigo swallowed and looked at the canal framing the road they strolled upon. The tide was coming in, it seemed.

"The sound of a bike's tires behind them caught Ichigo's attention and he turned his gaze lazily over the collar of his shirt. A small light in the distance was coming closer, wobbling slightly as the bike took the shock of the uneven asphalt. He glanced back as it drew near and grabbed Rukia's hand, pulling her out of the biker's way. The old man smiled and nodded his head as he passed, the back tire squeaking rhythmically as he furthered the distance between himself and the couple.

Rukia looked down at her hand entwined gently with Ichigo's fingers and blushed brilliantly. His skin was warm and inviting. She felt his eyes shift towards her and noticing her attention to their hands, slowly let his fingers slide away from hers.  
"Sorry, I just didn't want you to get run over. It would be hard to see you wearing black and all," he said quietly, biting down a short joke. Rukia nodded as they passed under another streetlight and rounded the corner towards the ferry. A group of people waited expectantly for the next ferry to arrive as its sister ship drifted off across the channel towards the other side of the city, undoubtedly carrying a group of his disappointed friends. Ichigo let go a relieved breath. He wasn't ready to face the questions from his classmates yet, nor the scrutinizing glare Rukia would surely grace him with once she found out that he had _told_ Keigo he was taking her to Hanabi Matsuri. A large piece of coal dropped with a dead thud in the pit of his stomach as he thought of their dreaded return to school.

As they joined the small crowd waiting with money in hand, Ichigo noticed several pairs of appreciative eyes whispering and pointing at Rukia from the sides of his vision. He nearly growled and stood closer while she craned her neck to see the busy festival streets across the way, oblivious to the threats. When a boat vender came by asking for the passage fare, Rukia expected Ichigo to hand her the change she needed, but found that he didn't even glance at her. As the lanky old man came over to them, he smiled a nearly-toothless grin and held out his hand. Ichigo handed him a crisp one thousand yen bill (ten dollars). The man pointed to Rukia.

"For you and the lady, sir?" he asked. Ichigo nodded, putting a hand on Rukia's bare shoulder. The feeling sent shivers down the shinigami's neck. No one had ever touched her bare skin before, save her hands and arms. His palm felt electric.

"Yes," Ichigo said protectively and waited for the man to hand him his change. He heard several men whine and turn away, looking for new eye candy. A grin pulled at the edge of his mouth as he tallied himself a point of victory for the night. He let the coins the man dropped in his hand cascade with a metallic clink to the bottom of his pocket and withdrew his hand from Rukia's shoulder.

The sea breeze ruffled Ichigo's shirt gently as the ferry carried them from the smaller island to the main part of the city. Rukia found great interest in the way her calves fell while wearing her high shoes and Ichigo chanced a look at her face. It was powdered with an innocent, delicate pink, her eyes dusted with a silvery shimmer. He surveyed the rest of the deck and caught several curious men quickly averting their eyes. His scowl deepened. The attention would bother him all night, though he guilted himself silently for the sense of pride it brought him.

He couldn't _really_ consider her a date, could he? He'd never gone on one, but he knew she was _dressed_ for one. He had seen plenty of his classmates dressed similarly, for concerts or nights on the town, but it was _Rukia_ sitting next to him, dressed so enchantingly. He felt dizzy and weak-kneed thinking that she had put so much time into this night. He could see her doing such a thing for no one else…and he smiled knowing that was true.

"Be careful," he said as they stood, waiting for the ramp to thump against the dock like the lazy tail of a beast. She held onto his arm as the boat jostled about in the tide, afraid of falling in her difficult shoes. He led her off the dock and onto the street where several brightly lit stalls were erected, all with different games, foods, and candies. Sellers yelled for people to come try their carnival trickery and taste their festival treats. Ichigo inspected Rukia's face as she watched a young child bounce a colorfully decorated balloon on a string, the small amount of water inside sloshing with a playful sound. He smirked and pulled her to where they could buy one for one hundred yen (one dollar). She bounced the small thing like a yo-yo and looked indecisively at all the choices surrounding her.

"Come on, Rukia! I'll buy you another drink to try and figure out," he said cryptically, pulling her towards a man on the back of a pint-sized work truck, handing out dried squid and Ramune (carbonated lemonade-like drink) in the yard of one of the city's small, urban temples. She looked at the curious top and tapped on the ball stuck in the bottleneck. Ichigo grinned and popped the glass marble down into the drink, laughing sincerely when Rukia shrieked with excitement. She demanded to try opening his and ended up spraying a large irritable man on the back of the neck. Both shinigami shared a moment of fear before running off into the crowd, Ichigo pulling Rukia by the hand as they laughed.

"The look on his face was _priceless_. Drink cleared!" Rukia said with a twinkle in her eyes. She sipped her Ramune with a proud expression and Ichigo finished his off, throwing it into a glass recyclables bin along the side of a takoyaki (fried octopus in a thick, sweet batter) vender's stall.

A few men from the ferry walked passed the shinigami couple and Ichigo glared viciously at them. One, red faced with a small bottle of warmed sake in his hands, whistled, his friends laughing hysterically as they held him up. Ichigo pulled Rukia close to him and held her waist with his broad hand. She blushed and tried to make herself small, blending in with his black slacks. Perhaps they had been making fun of her. Had she put the wrong powders on the wrong places?

"I don't want to stay with all these people if they're going to act like idiots," Ichigo said angrily as he guided her through the crowds, gradually becoming a little rowdy with the firework show close at hand. The men were beginning to make him nervous. Though he was more than willing to exterminate Hollows, he was hesitant to hurt someone acting foolish because of a holiday. He was even less willing to risk Rukia being hurt or taunted.

"What do you mean? We aren't leaving the festival, are we?" Rukia asked, sadness and disappointment lacing her words. She'd barely gotten to enjoy it…

"No, we're just going somewhere less…less _drunk_," he said as they walked down the street toward the edge of the festivities, the bright yellow and red lights of lanterns fading into the regularity of the city on a warm, summer night.

* * *

A/N: Ooo, wonder what's next! Hope you enjoyed, fellas. TGK

Cultural Notsies!

_Money_ – The smallest bill in Japanese yen is the one thousand yen (ten dollar) bill. The coins are 500y, 100y, 50y, 10y, 5y, and 1y.

_Hanabi Matsuri_ is translated as "Flower Fire Festival" (Fireworks Festival) and is HUGE in Japan. In canal cities, barges come full of fireworks and set them off from the channel or ocean (In Tokyo's case, from the bay) and most people go in traditional dress (kimono or yukata). The streets are just like a Japanese carnival. Lots of fun and BIG fireworks!

_Takoyaki_ is yummy and pish posh if you won't eat it _just_ because it's octopus.

Lots of old men ride rickety old bikes and smile a lot. Some even wear funky straw hats. Ah, what a life!


	12. Meanwhile

A/N: This is from April Fools, but it was written as a "look what his family's doing" kind of oneshot for you guys up-to-date with this story as well. Hope it makes you laugh!

_Five Point Exploding Toilet Technique_

* * *

Isshin sauntered haughtily down the street, an unlit cigarette drooping from his lips. A couple of toddlers frolicking in the grass ran in front of him and he tiptoed around them with stud-muffinly tenderness and winked at a young boy following after them, exhausted from babysitting for his parents. He pointed his index finger at the kid, and cocked his hand with a gun motion before smoothly melting away into the crowd. He sniffed the air and smelled the gunpowder wafting across the hill. Ah, the fireworks were near!

Yuzu watched her dad stumble over two small children and a young boy apologize with an embarrassed tone as the older man laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. She smiled with amusement and noted how, though they seemed not to like each other much, Ichi-nii and their rather eccentric father seemed very much alike in at least that one characteristic Kurosaki male gesture. Her elbow knocked against her small canvas bag, toppling it over as she withdrew three large bento for the family from a heating rack. She sighed noting that Ichi-nii's bento wasn't included. He had been late in returning home and was missing the festival…

Kon muffled his outraged cry as the demonic little girl elbowed him in the face. He rubbed his cheek pathetically, whimpering about being left behind by Nee-san and that brat of a carrot-top that always seemed to latch onto her. He peeked out from the side of the bag, his ears twisting into his signature little horns and snickered quietly to himself as he hiked up the bag and waddled after Isshin, who retreated into the distance, swaggering like a clumsy PI. That man had smooshed, pounded, grinded, and prodded Kon more times than the plush little toy could count. As he shook the small box in his hand, listening to the sweet sound of paper shavings rattling inside, he tiptoed through the unsuspecting crowds, backpack acting like the cheap bush trick he had often seen on dinnertime cartoons, waiting impatiently for Yuzu to finish the dishes, plop him down on her shelf, and fall asleep so he could escape for the night. He never thought he'd actually get a chance to try the innovative sneaking technique, but his chance to test it out was finally in his grasp. He smirked. Vengeance was sweet for the little mod-soul. Wake up and smell the gunpowder, old man!

A small, pink shoe attached to a giggling infant flattened Kon's flexible little body, sounding his squeaker. He grumbled curses, his fist popping out of one of the small buckled pockets on the front of the small satchel. He picked himself up, straightened his tail and ran with resounding squeaks towards Isshin's retreating figure. If he didn't hurry, it would be too late.

Isshin looked lazily about himself and leaned against the cinderblock wall of the men's room, his foot pushing against the surface, hand deep in his left pocket. He pulled the cigarette from his mouth and shoved it in his breastpocket before turning toward the entrance to the bathroom with a sly grin, his sunglasses making it quite hard to see at night (fashion before sensibility, my friend, fashion before sensibility). He waited coolly for one of the bathrooms to become unoccupied and inspected his reflection in the mirror.

Kon abandoned his captor's small bag and ran around the corner, ammo in hand. As someone left one of the stalls, heading to the sink, he slid dramatically under the door, ripping open the packaging of his precious little helpers.

As Isshin pushed open the stall door and turned to face the toilet, hands on pants, he noticed that there was no toilet paper to be seen and, with a frustrated grunt, stepped out of the stall.

Kon sighed with relief when the Kurosaki man left the stall and came out from behind the porcelain basin. He lifted the toilet seat quietly and began placing his little snappers, gently setting the seat back down and scurrying from the vicinity, narrowly dodging a large, thick-necked man's foot as he swung around the doorway.

Isshin nodded smoothly at the man who entered as he pulled the stall door open and surveyed the space with secret agent precision (The name's Bond, _Isshin_ Bond, he thought to himself.) and sauntered over to a shelf rowed with several rolls of toilet paper. He turned to see the larger, much more irritable and red-faced man begin to open the door to his stall.

"Excuse me, sir, but I wouldn't go in there if I were you," he said suavely, pulling his glasses dramatically from his face. The other man halted and grunted aggressively. It was hard to tell, but it seemed he was trying to boost his image, his wink sending mixed messages.

"What's it to you?" he said with a strained voice that left the impression that his neck's impressive diameter was constricting his windpipe. Isshin gulped.

"I was just about to use it," he said, keeping his voice calmly challenging. The other man snorted derogatively.

"Cheh, like I care. Thanks for the toilet paper, chum," he sneered, grabbing the roll from Isshin's hands and slamming the stall door shut. The row of stalls shuddered with the jolt and Isshin sighed, put his sunglasses back on and waited for the next stall to open with his usual wall-reclining posture. He began to hum to himself quietly.

A loud crackling and popping sounded from inside the larger man's stall resounded with an echoing sense of doom as the monster of a man yelled, tumbling out from behind the door, his pants around his ankles. Isshin couldn't help but give in to a fit of tittering until the beast's eyes turned on him.

"You set me up," he seethed, rounding on the Kurosaki siblings' father. Isshin laughed nervously, inching his toe out of the bathroom before racing around the corner. A few seconds later, he could hear his pursuer come charging like a steam engine from the restroom.

"COME BACK HERE YOU TWERP," the other yelled. Isshin stuck his tongue out at him and fled quickly, grateful for his geek-like speed. As he was engulfed in the crowds, only barely being able to perceive the other man's head over the crowd searching with the sense of a crazed bull, Isshin slid onto the picnic blanket that had been spread out so neatly in front of his girls' tent and smashed Yuzu's khaki bag over his head. Something squeaked from inside as he held it tightly over his face like a paper bag.

"Dad…what's wron –"

"Just playing hide and seek with some children, dear. Pretend you don't notice me," he lied nervously, hiding behind her form, his sunglasses askew. She shrugged with a smile and continued to prepare their bento for a late dinner.

Kon fought for air, smashed against Isshin's head. He cursed the childish man's spawn silently, hoping they'd get chocken pox and attempted to ignore the repulsive smell of too much cologne. He glared at the snapper that fell onto his nose, teasing him about his failed attempt at yet another Kurosaki revenge. The backlash had become so cruel, he wouldn't even be able to see the fireworks which began to sound in the distance with cheers and applause. Managing to cross his arms, he promised himself _never_ to do that again.

* * *

A/N: Hope you liked it! Oh! And please if you have any idea for Kon pranks, let me know! I've only gotten one suggestion, but I need more if I want my April Fools series to continue. I want them to be silly things you all want Kon to be thwarted doing! 


	13. A Lonely Park Bench

A/N: Sorry about that cruel interlude for chapter 12… I bet I got you all to believe that _this_ was what you were going to get! Hope the suspense makes it better, TGK

_A Lonely Park Bench_

* * *

Ichigo led Rukia beyond a large public offices building and past a rather affectionate couple around the corner. Rukia looked away rolling her eyes, but both could barely admit to themselves that the passionate silhouette had become a shadow of themselves in their minds. Ichigo pulled his date towards a row of benches lining the docks, the view perfect from the quiet, empty pier.

Rukia sat down when Ichigo gestured her toward a seat and sat rigidly, looking at the barge for several minutes. She could feel Ichigo watching her from the corner of his eye, leaning casually against his elbows on the wall behind them. They listened to the sounds of the festival down the road, watched the lights, smelled the aroma of delectable grease, batter and sugar on the breeze mixing with the salts of the ocean.

After a while, Ichigo couldn't take his eyes off her shoulders. The back of her dress was low and sensual, exposing most of her spine save an elegant fold along her shoulders, holding the front of the dress to her chest. The cloth rippled in the gentle ocean wind and Ichigo was mesmerized by it. He let his eyes fall across her beautifully pale skin, so much of her he had never seen before. Her shoulders flexing as she breathed, her bare arms prickling with the slight chill of the zephyr…even her lower thigh seemed different from when she wore her school uniform, as if it were being covered by the silk of a lover's nightgown, not his little sister's casual jumpers. He swallowed and looked away as his eyes trailed her spine, falling in the pool of the small of her back, her creamy skin calling to him like the moon to a wolf. He blinked, finding great interest in the mountains across the channel, gleaming with the cerulean afterglow of the sun's descent.

"When do the fireworks start?" she asked, looking back at him. Ichigo grinned and flipped open his phone. He shoved it back in his pocket after a glance at the blindingly bright screen.

"In about ten minutes or so. They usually start at ten," he said, leaning on his knees. Rukia smiled at him and turned back to the sea, its cleansing air engulfing her. She breathed it in happily and felt the calming rhythm of her heart. A group of men in reflective lime green construction coats appeared from a door on the barge's platform and she watched quietly as the world around her erupted in wild cheers.

"Rukia…" Ichigo said hesitantly. She blinked as she turned to him, her gaze screaming innocence. How could someone be so many decades old, and still be such a pure soul?

"Yes, Ichigo?" Her voice seemed so small to him all of a sudden. Almost frail, like a once-magnificent castle, standing regally upon a hill as its walls crumble. Ichigo swallowed, holding her gaze with his barest emotions swimming in his own pools of sight.

"You're cold," he said softly. Rukia looked down at her arms with surprise, her fingers running over chilled skin.

"I…I didn't notice," she stuttered, feeling the strange sensation frost her flesh. She shouldn't have been able to feel the cold in her gigai. It shouldn't have been possible, especially in such a warm climate, the breeze feeling more like a young spring wisp rather than the harsh gusts of late autumn or winter.

"Cheh, should have worn something warmer," Ichigo grumbled, trying to hide his earlier tone. He felt her shoulders tense and readied himself to cover his vitals for her attack. To his surprise, she let herself relax again and he raised his eyebrow, looking at her suspiciously.

"Actually, I'm quite comfortable. Thank you," she said briskly, turning away to look at the barge. Ichigo looked at her for a moment, jaw slack as he tried to figure out why she had refrained from hitting him in her usual manner.

A few booming ripples through the air signaled the beginning of the fireworks. Rukia turned to watch the sparkling rockets push towards the stars in lazy spirals above them before exploding into millions of shimmering flecks of stardust. Ichigo watched the first few before lowering his eyes to Rukia's laughing face, the lights of the show playing over her skin, goose bumps prickling her smoothness.

"Come here," he said in an attempt to sound annoyed. His voice became teasing and playful, a smirk flickering on his lips. Rukia's smile faded into a look of shock as Ichigo wrapped an arm around her back, his fingers sliding guiltily over her naked spine. Rukia felt her cheeks tingle with heat as he pulled her into his chest. She soaked up the heat he offered her like an eager child.

Ichigo's fingers shook as he settled his hand on the side of her dress, heart pounding, breath shallow. She seemed to sink into his tentative embrace, her skin chilling his molten blood. His hand pleaded with his mind as his thumb found the edge of the cloth covering her side, aching to feel more of her skin. He never thought she'd be so smooth. As they watched the fireworks above them fade away like stars in the morning light, he let his mind's eye unravel thread guiltily.

Rukia calmed her body as Megumi's voice echoed through her mind. She licked her lips nervously, seemingly engrossed in the festival finale, watching explosive after explosive climb into the sky. She was nervous. Adrenaline pulsed in her stomach almost violently, dripping into her core like magma. A white-hot ache.

"Are you warmer?" Ichigo asked, his lips close to her ear, breath tickling her neck. Rukia turned to him, the majestic arc of her neck making him nervous as her beautifully pink lips brushed against his jaw.

"Much, thank you," she said quietly. As she retreated from his ear, noting that he smelled like spiced woods, she looked at how his lips were parted slightly.

Ichigo nearly jumped away from her, his conscience telling him that they were far too close, far too alone. Her eyes kept him still, no matter how hard he fought to get away from the feel of her skin, her eyes pulled him towards her. Warning bells sounded in his ears as he let his thumb trace the seam of her dress, a shockingly strong sense of shame suffocating his thoughts. This was Rukia. He was wrong when he had seen her in the stairwell. _This_ was the real Rukia. Silently fragile like a crystal tear, needing to be protected and fought for. _This_ what was he had been fighting for.

A roar of cheers exploded as the finale of the fireworks began. Ichigo held Rukia tightly. Her eyes were staring up at the sparkling sky as colors burst through the dark abyss. Ichigo couldn't take his eyes off her, despite the beauty of the festival above them. He was captivated, seeing her completely. How could he have not seen her before?

Without a hesitant thought or nervous beat of his heart, Ichigo pulled a stray lock of hair from Rukia's face. She seemed not to notice, but her cheeks became a brilliant rose hue as her eyes smiled up at the fireworks. It was truly comfortable and safe, she thought, to sit in Ichigo's arms.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the delays! Also, I may be posting other stories I have. One Problem!!! There is no originals section for (go figure) SO! Let me know if you'd be interested if I made a storybase website for my original works and your works too! 


	14. Chappy

A/N: **Computer Crisis!** My dog ate seven keys off my laptop keyboard, but never fear! I have other computers by which to write. Enjoy!

**Goal Announcement**: Both Deeper Care and The Shopping Agenda have gained 50 readers with alert status! Yey!

_Chappy_

* * *

Ichigo opened the door to his house and shoved his house key back in his pocket. Neither he nor Rukia spoke as they entered the home, the wistful air of the night completely encompassing their thoughts. Ichigo watched his date shrug off her shoes and bounce up the stairs, her hips swaying seductively as the skirt of her dress took turns hugging each of her thighs. His date. He smiled, his eyes sparkling with amusement as she rounded the corner to his bedroom, humming.

Ichigo looked down at his cell phone as it vibrated urgently in his hand. He flipped it open and found that he had missed several messages from their friends, wondering if they were okay. He walked up the stairs texting his excuses to Keigo and opened the door to his room without so much as a glance. It was only when Rukia screamed with frustration that he looked up with mild surprise.

…And soon burst into fits of full, hardy laughter, the force of which nearly knocked him off his feet. Rukia stood in the middle of the room, chasing herself around in circles on her tiptoes as she tried desperately to reach the zipper on the back of her dress. Her face a bright, embarrassed red, she shrieked with aggravation and flopped down on the bed, her dress puffing with air like a deflating muffin.

"Shut up! I didn't know it would be so hard to get _off_," she huffed, crossing her arms. Ichigo looked at her a moment, attempting to calm himself down, but fell upon his bookshelf for support as laughter caught him off guard and turned away, the vision still fresh in his mind. Rukia growled and threw a pillow at her escort, hitting him squarely in the stomach. He fell to the floor dramatically and stared up at the ceiling, his hands behind his head.

Rukia's towering form blocked the light from the lamp on his desk and Ichigo looked up at her silhouette as she stood above his chest, her stance wide and huffy. He waggled his eyebrows at her comically and grinned. She eyed him suspiciously.

…And ended up on the floor, sprawled across his chest, her leg flailing wildly in the air. Ichigo smirked and shielded his face as her heel came crashing into his forearms. He was quick enough to grab it, but completely forgot that she had another three limbs.

With a satisfying crunch, Rukia's left elbow buried itself deep in Ichigo's cheek and knocked him off balance. She yanked her foot from his loosened grasp with a victory guffaw and pinned him down as she sat on his stomach with a jump in the air. He heaved in two as air was pushed violently from his lungs and fell back against the carpet, limp and out of breath.

"Okay. You win. Wouldja get off me now?"

"No! You'll just start laughing and pointing again," Rukia accused, crossing her arms and interrogating his innocently solemn expression with squinted eyes.

"Fine. What do you want me to do?" he sighed, rolling his eyes. He forced himself to look away from her cute pout and modest amount of cleavage as she crossed her arms. Her persistent gaze, however, pulled his eyes back to her face and he grinned only barely, still remembering the way the fireworks had played off her skin.

"Unzip it so I don't run around like a chicken with its head cut off," she said, raising her eyebrow challengingly. Ichigo's smile melted away as he registered her words, a rich blush pushing at his cheeks. He tried to sit up, but Rukia wouldn't let him escape. He began to stutter nervously.

"What? No! Do it yourself!"

"Why can't you just pull a _zipper_? Your fingers don't work or something?"

"Don't be stupid, Rukia! You can't be _this_ dumb," he swore, staring up at her in disbelief. His stomach was churning with a whirl of butterflies, his skin hot and tight. The image of her dress falling away to reveal pools of creamy skin replayed in his mind over and over with the same ferocity that Whinnie the Poo craves honey. He could almost feel her smoothness under his fingertips as he stared up at her, wanting to feast on the curve of her body, but denying that he dreamt of it often.

"_Please_?" Rukia asked after a heated battle of scowls. She fluttered her eyelashes charmingly with a bright, fake smile. Ichigo grumbled and pushed himself up on his elbows with defeat.

"Fine."

When Rukia refused to move he blinked, looking guiltily at her silky thigh, the skirt riding ever higher as he attempted to sit. Without a word of argument, he swallowed his pride and pushed himself up on one hand, his other catching her around the shoulders as she squeaked with surprise and fell deep into his lap. Their cheeks turned a rosy red as Ichigo's free hand held her tightly to his chest and searched across her naked spine and silky dress for the zipper she couldn't quite reach. He found it between her shoulder blades and pulled the small handle slowly.

"Thanks," Rukia said quietly, her hands on his chest. Ichigo nodded, but his fingers didn't fall away from the small of her back as her dress fell off her shoulders and pooled against her escort's body, barely concealing a black lace bra. They shared a somewhat nervous glance before both blinked and looked away. Ichigo coughed and his date pressed her clothing firmly to her chest as she climbed to her feet clumsily. He watched Rukia prance to her closet and bit his lip, forcing his scowl to resurface.

Her slinking figure was almost too much to bear for the poor teen. As she jumped away from him, seeking refuge in her closet as her dress slipped farther down her figure, he caught a glimpse of her lacey panties, a sexy, sleek black against her pale skin. He turned away and counted how many T's were in the English summary of his Oral Lesson Workbook, which sat on his bottom shelf.

With a bashful sigh as he envisioned Rukia in her undergarments, Ichigo stood and approached his bed, falling face first into his pillow. His stomach spurred excitedly as he recalled his date with Rukia. _Date_. He had almost convinced himself to call it that simply so that he wouldn't slip and call it something else when Keigo forced him to supply their friends with gossip. But there was no denying it. He had come to believe it was a date…and the air in his pillow was steadily becoming hot and stale…

Turning his head to the side so he could breath, Ichigo stared at the bottom drawer of his desk. He had all but forgotten the Chappy doll stuffed into the cramped hiding space and pulled the drawer open. The fluffy little toy bulged from the confines of the space and, after a few grunts of frustration, he coerced it from its hiding place and sat, scratching the back of his head as he inspected it.

It looked so small and…_fluffy_, much like what he imagined Rukia to be like once you got past that rocky exterior. Just a fuzzy stuffed animal. With a squeaker. Ichigo grinned and stood, the toy held gently in his hands. He approached Rukia's door and knocked softly, hiding the gift behind his back. Once the door opened, he did something he had never done before. He sat down on Rukia's futon.

"What?" Rukia asked, her usual Napoleonic gruff evident in the undertone of her voice. Ichigo swung his legs onto her bedding and faced her with a smile. She blushed, her knees tucked neatly beneath her as she sat in her small black slip, hiding almost nothing from Ichigo's eyes.

"Remember going to buy clothes last week?" he asked, still holding the present behind his back as he leaned against the wall. Rukia nodded, raising her eyebrow.

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Well, I found something that I thought you might…like," he said, letting the words fall thoughtfully from his lips. Rukia's stomach clenched and twisted with nervous excitement as her fingers curled into petite fists upon her bare thighs.

"And what would that be?" she asked softly, her body aching to crawl towards him, but everything else in her too scared to move. Ichigo coughed with embarrassment and he produced the Chappy doll from behind his waist. Rukia felt adrenaline drip down her body as her face brightened, adoring thoughts running through her mind as she grasped the doll gently in her arms and gave it a big squeeze.

"I didn't know when your birthday was, so I decided tonight was best to give it to you," Ichigo mumbled, nervous to his core. Rukia beamed sincerely at him and he felt all his anxiety drain away with that face, that smile. Without warning, she threw herself on him and wrapped her arms around his neck with the force of a sprung mousetrap. He sat frozen for a moment before chuckling and returning her gesture, laying his hands tenderly on her bare shoulders and satin-covered spine.

"Thank you _so_ much, Ichigo! This will make sleeping a lot easier, ne," Rukia said, happiness brimming over her words, cascading to Ichigo's ears. He blushed as she squirmed, her slip riding dangerously over her rear. He looked away, finding that the inside of his closet had a different pattern than the rest of his room…

"Hey, don't get so worked up. It's just a doll," he said, gently pulling her off him. He was determined not to break their fragile relationship that seemed to be bringing them closer and closer together. Rukia backed away and bit her lip, fidgeting as she played with the small stuffed animal.

"No one's ever gotten me something like this," she said, completely enthralled. She made the bunny dance across her lap as she hummed, flopping his ears back and forth. Ichigo smirked and crossed his arms with a haughty snort.

"Well, it's no wonder! You're so short I bet people are afraid that you grow in rewind. Getting you a stuffed animal would just quicken the process." He was about to say some other snobbish joke, but was silenced by a squeaking smack to the head with the Chappy doll and a mouth full of fluff.

"Oi! Don't use it as a weapon against me!"

"Why not?! You're the one cracking jokes!"

"Because it's like treason!"

"What are you saying?!" Rukia asked incredulously, her voice raising an octave.

"I BOUGHT THE DAMNED THING."

They growled, grinding their teeth with animalistic ferocity and pushing their foreheads challengingly against each other. Ichigo closed his eyes and ripped himself away from her defiant glare.

"Good night," he said suddenly, his voice constricted with the disappointment that his gift was used for their first fight of the day. He jumped from the closet and turned to shut the door. Rukia's hand upon his stopped him from pulling it shut.

"Wait!" she said in a rush, stalling Ichigo's slumber, unable to see him walk away with such a deflated expression. She'd had such fun that night she found she was afraid to let it end. Would they just return to how they had been? Or would things change? For the better? She had to make sure that things continued to get better between them. No matter what.

Rukia looked around the room frantically for a moment, her lips parted with nervousness before she grabbed Ichigo's collar and pulled him toward her. Their lips were so close when she lost her nerve, her breath shallow, fingers shaking, that she could _feel_ the heat of his skin on her cheeks. What had she been _thinking_? A kiss wouldn't make anything better. Romance never made anything better for anyone. It only brought heartache.

Just as she let go of Ichigo's shirt, he pushed forward, locking their lips together in a soft, innocent kiss. Neither was quite sure what to do, but Ichigo could only listen to his gut, twisting with anticipation and excitement at finally feeling how soft she was. Rukia let her eyes flitter shut as Ichigo's hand found her jaw and pulled her closer.

As they broke the bond to catch their breath, Rukia looked away, her face a brilliant shade of crimson. Ichigo pulled her face toward his so he could see her expression, his lips parted with barely restrained adrenaline. Rukia looked at him with great confusion before her face became almost blank, a completely impenetrable defense.

"Sorry," Rukia said quietly, mesmerized by Ichigo's gaze, which was caught somewhere between surprise, desire, and... He shook his head and was nearly about to speak when Rukia raised her hand in a silencing fashion. "I'm…I'm tired. I'll see you in the morning, Ichigo."

As Rukia slowly shut her closet door, Ichigo felt like he was being cut in half. She slowly fell away from his view like a sweet dream turned sour. He raised his hand to knock or pull the door open again, but shoved his fist back in his pocket instead. With a sigh, he turned around and walked back to his bed, his head falling upon the pillow with a fluffy thump.

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A/N: I know, a little sad! But never fear! It'll work out. The Koi's got a slick plan!

**Author Announcement**: I'm going to be posting original works under the same penname on FictionPress! Please check it out if you like my style. I promise I write much better when focusing on my originals. Ta! TGK


	15. Sleep

A/N: I know. I've been taking way to long to post for this story, but it's almost over! Oh no! In any case, I have another Bleach story coming out soon called **Ice on the River** and one that has been continued due to request called **Deeper Care**.

_This chapter has been reposted due to author's absolute hate for doubling up the word "covers" at the end of the chapter._

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_Restlessness_

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Rukia hugged her Chappy doll tightly against her chest, the scent of Ichigo's drawers filtering through her nose. She would have smiled, but thoughts were running rampant through her skull, like a stampede of tweeting, hungry chickadees. She shook her head and sat up, clutching her doll with tight frustration.

She pushed the door open without concerns as to whether or not the noise would awake her sleeping host. As she padded across the threshold and knelt next to Ichigo's bed, her eyes barely peeking over his sheets, he groaned and turned over. After waiting for a moment, Rukia poked his shoulder forcefully and his eyes fluttered open. They shone like gold in the pale light of the room, almost eerily bright as his grogginess melted away.

"Rukia? What are you doing?" he asked, his voice cracking with fatigue. He propped himself up on his elbows and looked down at her little form, pressed against the side of his bed. The ears of the Chappy doll he had bought flopped over the side of his comforter and he fought back a little chuckle.

"I couldn't sleep."

"But you said you were tired earlier…"

"Well, I'm not tired anymore."

"But you sai – never mind."

They simmered in the awkward silence and looked at each other, their stomachs on fire. Ichigo felt the heat reach his cheeks and snorted, looking away. Looking at her spurred the memory of her taste, leaving a knot in his heart. She looked up at him with large eyes and he sighed, patting his bed.

"If you're going to keep pestering me you might as well be warm," he said, excusing his motive. She crawled up onto his bed and draped his comforter over her shoulders. It was warm and inviting, smelling much like her toy did, comfortable and spicy.

"Why were the people at the festival laughing at me?" Rukia asked rather abruptly. Ichigo blinked at her, his throat incapable of finding the words it needed to use. He rubbed his neck trying to buy time, looking off at her closet.

"They were ah, umm…Hmm." He couldn't find the right words. How could he tell her that every man they passed was watching her? _Drooling_ after her? Remembering that made him red-faced with denied jealousy. He pushed the thoughts away with a gruff mental shove and turned to face her. She watched the expressions fly across his face like a movie reel and tilted her head curiously.

"They were…You were beautiful tonight, Rukia. Those guys at the festival were…admiring you for it," he mumbled. Rukia's brow furrowed in surprise and she was tempted to deny his words, but Megumi-san's voice filtered through her ears like it had a way of doing in these circumstances, and she realized that while she was trying to attract Ichigo, she could end up attracting others too.

"Oh," she breathed, looking down at her stuffed animal. Ichigo watched her fuss over its ears and grinned. His hand fell away from his neck as his embarrassment subsided bit by bit. Rukia chewed on her lip as she inspected his face and turned to look at Ichigo. She could feel how hot his lips had been, the tingling sensation of his skin still pressed against hers.

"I guess it worked then!" she said with her faux-gaiety. Ichigo eyed her with suspicion radiating from his face. He crossed his arms protectively over his torso and nudged her with his shoulder.

"Whaddya mean 'It worked'?" he asked slyly. As Rukia pulled down her slip, Ichigo bit down a scream as he tried to climb up his wall out of instinct.

"Oi. I'm not going to bite you," Rukia hissed. Ichigo peeked over his shoulder and turned away quickly from the sight of Rukia's slip around her waist, looking down at an extremely sexy black bra. He covertly rubbed under his nose to make sure he wasn't bleeding and turned back around with a cough, his eyes tightly shut.

"Tell me, Rukia. _Whydidyoujusttakeyourslipoff_?!" Ichigo hissed dramatically. He could hear Rukia giggle and felt his temper boil. It felt like his father would come rushing through the door and promenade about, talking about his dear little boy becoming a man. He shuddered at the idea of his dad bringing a _camera_…

"Because I was talking about the _bra_, dimwit," she supplied, smacking him on the head. Ichigo's eyes snapped open as he turned to retaliate and shoved a pillow in Rukia's lap.

"You're not allowed to wear it in public," he said with a superior tone. As he was about to nod his head with self-satisfaction, his pillow came rocketing back and clipped him straight in the jaw.

"Why not?!"

"Because it's…it's too attractive!"

"How would _you_ know?! You haven't looked at it!"

"FINE."

Ichigo looked down at Rukia's chest and felt his stomach swirl. It was the wonder bra of sexual attraction with barely enough cloth to cover what was supposed to be hidden. He had never noticed that she had breasts, but could tell that he'd never forget now. Rukia looked up at Ichigo's expression with innocent curiosity.

"Megumi-san said it would make me irresistible, so I thought it would be useful in fights like this. It made perfect sense at the time," she said, pulling her slip back on. Ichigo let go a sigh, but with a guilty pleasure stored the sight of her skin in his memory, as vivid as he could make the vision.

"I don't think you understood her, Rukia. Makes sense, since you're not exactly _just_ from out of town…" he grumbled, rubbing a hand across his face.

"What?"

"Stuff like that is for _seducing_ people. I don't think that's what you wanted," he explained.

"…Yeah, and?" Ichigo stammered, the gears in his head grinding to a halt. Did she just say…

"Did you just sa –"

"Aa."

Ichigo swallowed hard, his stomach clenching with nervous energy so hard that he almost felt nauseous. Rukia inched closer, a look of concern plaguing her face. Little surges of electricity throbbed through the major nerves in his thigh as her bare leg brushed up against his hip.

"I'm a hundred and fifty years old. You didn't honestly think I don't know what lingerie is for, did you?" she asked, disbelief on her breath of a laugh. Ichigo swallowed. "Okay, so I didn't know much about the _real world_ underwear or anything, but you can't really work with Matsumoto and be ignorant." Ichigo's mind strayed for a moment, remembering the rather busty vice-captain with a snort.

"You're beautiful the way you are, Rukia. You don't need to try and be like Matsumoto or Megumi-san," Ichigo confessed quietly. He turned to look at Rukia with his intensely caring scowl.

"I –"

"The dress looked amazing and no one else would look as nice as you did in it. But whatever you do, don't wear any of this for anyone else. _Ever_. Okay?" he asked. The amount of strength it took to swallow his pride was monstrous, but he could do it to save himself from jealousy. A momentary lapse of self-respect was _far_ better than having to deal with something like that.

"Thank you. And I wasn't planning on it anyway," Rukia said matter-of-factly. Ichigo nodded his head and turned towards the wall, smooshing his pillow beneath his head. He closed his eyes and feigned being uninterested in further discussion of the topic, but his ears were keened on the sound of Rukia sitting next to him. A few moments passed before she interrupted the silence.

"Can I stay here?" she asked, plopping her toy back into her lap. Ichigo sighed and turned over on his back.

"You've been living with me all year and you're just _now_ asking if you can stay?"

"No, I meant in the bed. Your comforter's warm and the air conditioning makes the closet chilly," she explained. Ichigo rolled his eyes, nodded, and was met by a bounce into the covers. Just as he was about to turn over again, Rukia piped up.

"And Ichigo?"

"Aa."

Rukia pulled on his shoulder and pressed her lips against his. Ichigo's eyes became wide with shock and searched hers as she pulled away, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Good night," she said cheerily, hopping back under the covers. Ichigo looked over at where she disappeared under the mound of white downy, swallowed whole by the massive comforter she managed to roll herself up in. As the two shinigami fell asleep back to back, Ichigo's head replayed the images of that night, remembering them with such detail, he could almost hear her speaking, the memories playing on the wall before him. He closed his eyes with a stupid grin plastered on his face and fell into a fitful sleep, Rukia on his mind.

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A/N: Yes, a somewhat dull chapter, but I couldn't help it! I just posted two new stories and Deeper Care has taken priority for readers. I hope it was alright though! 


	16. As Fleeting

A/N: Sorry for the delays! Yes, this is the last chapter. And very short.

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_As Fleeting As the Sound of Butterfly Wings_

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Ichigo was afraid to open his eyes. 

He took a deep breath and realized that his sheets no longer smelled like just himself. A new aroma had woven itself into his bed, like seeds in a garden. Lilies. He wanted to smile, recognizing Rukia' s new, fleeting scent on his things, but fought to keep his expression light and unaware. In a small corner of his mind, he felt pride in having a part of her imprinted on his bed; a kind of territorial statement to any that noticed.

He couldn't help but smirk at the thought of Renji sniffing his sheets, red-faced with anger.

Ichigo felt the urge to turn over and felt his limbs begin to itch with curiosity. Was Rukia still next to him? On one hand, he hoped that she'd still be sleeping peacefully, her features gracefully fallen in an angelic repose. The only thing that stopped him from turning over was the distinct suspicion that perhaps his dad was waiting for him to wake up. His dad would never let him out of the chokehold of love if he were lucky enough to get a snapshot of his son cuddling with a girl in bed. Just one picture of them together could ruin his meticulous reputation, and embarrass him for life. An unbidden vision of Isshin with a winding key in his back, parading around the room while clashing a pair of cymbals together came unexpectedly into Ichigo's mind.

Careful to stretch as if in sleep, he readjusted himself, turning away from the wall. Almost immediately, Rukia pushed up against him, drawn by the comfortable scoop of his body against hers and the lazy warmth that his body offered. Ichigo opened an eye apprehensively and looked up at his empty room with a relieved sigh. His dad hadn't infiltrated his room yet. A quick glance at the clock surprised the shinigami, showing the time to be nearly noon, much later than he'd ever let himself sleep before. He thought fleetingly about whether or not he should reach for his cell phone and risk waking Rukia up to make sure his alarm clock was correct, but the sound of a bird chirping and the hum lazy traffic beyond his open window convinced him that perhaps he had simply slept more soundly than usual. The bubbling laughter of a few children on the street below his window caught Ichigo's ears and he listened contently to their impressions of fireworks and booms as their shoes pattered against the asphalt.

It was then he realized that his family wouldn't be back from the festival grounds until around dinner.

He let his strain and worry dissipate with a deep yawn and opened his eyes fully. With a conscious stretch of his limps, Ichigo let himself smile and loll his head to the side to admire the woman sleeping next to him. It was alright to smile if no one could see him. Rukia turned over with a squeaky sigh and buried her cheek in the pillow. Her serene expression was so rarely seen by her redheaded companion that he couldn't help but stare. He attempted to push that ever-persistent lock of hair from between her eyes and bit back a snicker as she wriggled her nose.

Ichigo's smile faded slowly as he envisioned the curves of her slip underneath his thick comforter and his hand hesitated as it traced her jaw much more lovingly than he'd thought he was capable of. His eyes flickered to his closet where her black dress spilled over the futon and he could feel heat spread across his body. She'd gotten all of these things for him. To impress _him_. As an after thought, he told himself that a more correct term would probably be that she lured him in with female guile, but he decided that their playful enmity didn't have a place in his bed just then.

With a bit more confidence, Ichigo's fingers slipped under the sheets.

The silk of Rukia's slip felt soothing under his touch, like cool water cascading down her skin. His pulse momentarily quickened as she seemed to respond and curve her spine into his hand. He froze when her eyes fluttered and he thought briefly about pulling away and pretending to be asleep again, but his thoughts fell from his mind in a jumbled mess as she reached for him in her sleep. Her hand slithered across his bare stomach and she pulled herself close to him, draping her limbs across his body with a content sigh.

A bit more confused, Ichigo watched the sleeping girl in his arms.

He curled his hand around her shoulders with momentary helplessness, but soon settled into the comfort of being able to fully protect her. For once. He was _finally_ able to protect someone without any qualms. The fact that the world was peaceful and there wasn't a threat in sight made no difference to him in that moment. Rukia was asleep in his arms, and she was completely vulnerable. The only thing allowing her to continue dreaming was Ichigo's presence and her trust in his strength.

Ichigo spotted a fluffy bunny ear protruding from between their bodies, Rukia's arm wrapped tightly around her stuffed animal's soft tummy. Ichigo could see the look of jealousy on Kon's face if he were there, dressed in his little sister's frilly doll clothes. It was just a matter of time before Yuzu decided to make him a Little Bo Peep costume. He thought about suggesting it to her.

Ichigo's malicious grin of victory simmered on his lips for several minutes as he imagined the little lion pouting frantically. A small sigh against his chest made him look down again to see Rukia's eyes flutter open like butterfly wings, only to drift closed sleepily within a matter of seconds.

"Rukia?" he asked quietly, craning his neck to see her eyes. She pulled herself closer to him and he smiled, letting the sound of children and songbirds lull his senses into a tranquil doze.

* * *

Rukia smiled after a few silent moments, Ichigo's hand caressing her shoulder. She nuzzled his chest and let herself once again slip off into a timeless slumber, her companion's heart beating in rhythm with hers. Perhaps they'd remain this way forever, she thought. Things would never be the same, but she understood the comfort of having someone so close now. Romance wasn't just heartache to her anymore. It was something to be savored, no matter how small the taste. 

In fact, romance seemed to be just what she needed.

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A/N: That's the end! I hope it was sufficient!

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